(OLD) Ninja Wolf: The Legacy Continues
by CommanderOmega
Summary: In a world where being different is not accepted, it is a hard life. Anthropomorphic wolves have to live in hiding from the humans, but everything changes when a fifteen year old anthro is sent on a mission to form a team of ninjas to prevent a possible war and to make peace. This is not an Alpha and Omega fanfic and it is my first story. Give it a try and see if you like it.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Hello there guys. So, I had this story in mind for a long time now and I finally decided to get it started now. This is my first story so I apologise in advance for any problems with the story. I would appreciate constructive criticism in the comments if you want to suggest something. I hope you enjoy the story.**

This story starts out with a family, not just any family, but my special family. Believe me, this is not your normal family. No, we are not crazy or weird people; you can barely call us people. We are what some would call furries or anthros. Again, no, we are not the furies that dress up and go to conventions, but the real deal. I know what you are probably thinking, "They aren't real," you better believe it; we are most certainly real. You just don't see us.

You don't see us because we hide. Why, you ask. How would you react if you saw a wolf walking around on two legs? Yeah, I thought so. My parents taught me to hide from humans. I have learned (and experienced (sort of)) you guys will just kill us if you see us. I've learned that some people's reactions are that we are the work of the devil; others think that we are just freaks of nature and will kill us and most likely take us to laboratories. No thank you, I prefer living. We have done nothing wrong, so why would they do that to us? I have no idea. We never learned to hate humans, only to hide from them.

I remember when I was six, the first time I ever interacted with a human. It was not a good experience. It was after a very rainy day, so there were a lot of puddles to play in. I was minding my own business and having fun in the mud puddles, but little did I know, a hunter had his sights on me. I know we have good hearing and smelling, but I was young and distracted.

Anyway, luckily for me, my dad sensed him; he tackled the hunter right as he took a shot, so it barely missed me. The hunter managed to escape my dad's grasp and started to run, but he didn't get very far. I didn't figure out what happened to the human untill I was ten. You all can guess what happened, so I don't need to tell you. My dad was just trying to protect our family. He said in any other circumstance, he would not done that.

Ever since I was little, I was always so curious; especially about the past and why human hate us. We have learned human history, and our own, but not much. I learned that there was a civilization of us wolves long ago, but they were sent away after a defeat against the humans for more territory. Grandpa never told me his story of his life, I ask him all the time, but he would either walk away or say, "Another day my boy." I have no idea why he won't answer, but he won't. All I know is it just makes me more curious.

You're probably wondering where we are hiding. Well, we hide in Jasper Park, Canada, and may I say what a beautiful place it is. Not to mention there is plenty of food to go around. There are many places to hide and so little people out here. Most of them are tourists or rangers, and we can easily hide from them. We have a large log cabin that I like to call home. We have everything we need: shelter, running water, and lastly, electricity. I have no idea how we got it; I've asked before, but no answer. I'm just glad we have it.

Now, how about a little info about my family: first things first, just letting you know, we are wolf morphs. We all are grey with some white somewhere on us. Mine is on my right hand paw. We are a happy family of seven, the Wolfe family. I know, ironic last name right? Anyway, first wolf in my family is my grandpa, his name is Nikolai. He is grey with a white underbelly and tail tip like snow on a mountain cap. After that is my dad, Samuel. He has white on his underbelly and face up to his eyes. Next is my mom, Dawn. Both her hands and feet are white. After her is my oldest brother, Ian. He looks similar to grandpa. Then, there are the twins, Adam and Sarah. They both have white ears and muzzles. Sarah is the older one by three minutes. The last, and the youngest, is me. My name is Luke Deklan Wolfe, and this is my story.

I Hope you guys enjoyed. Just letting you know, this story for now will take quite some time to update. Sorry. I waiting to get a new laptop. I will try my best. See you later.


	2. Chapter 2: Brother Bonding

**Here is chapter two guys. One thing I forgot to mention last chapter is that there will be no Alpha and Omega characters within this story. There will be some references though. Just a minor warning, there will be minor swears in this chapter and the following chapter. Enjoy!**

It was a nice, cool November day in Jasper. It was around forty degrees fahrenheit (or about 4 degrees celsius, whatever you like.) with a little breeze to add a little bite to it. There was no snow on the ground yet, but I can't wait till there is some. Our mom kicked us out for a while so we would have a chance to play outside while dad is out hunting.

Six months ago, I turned eight, which would make Adam and Sarah twelve and Ian fourteen. We were all just laying with our backs to the ground trying to think of a game to play.

"So, what should we do?" Adam asked.

We sat in silence, it felt like an eternity, until I thought of an idea, "Oh!" I exclaimed, my three siblings turning their heads towards me. "We could play hide and seek."

"Okay," Ian replied, starting to get up.

"Nah," Adam said, which caused Ian to lay back down, "we always do that; it's getting old."

My ears flattened a little. I always try to impress my siblings because I always feel unappreciated. The only one that listened to me is Ian. I don't know why, but Adam and Sarah are mean to me; they really like to make fun of my weight especially.

It was silent until Ian finally came up with an idea, "Who wants to do a challenge?"

"What kind of challenge?" Adam asked.

Ian sat up, "See that big tree over there," he pointed to a tree, the other three nodded, "quickest one to the top wins. We can time each other."

"Okay," Sarah replied.

"Ha," Adam, "you think Luke would be able to even get to the first branch? He can't even pull himself up."

Like I said, I am known to my siblings as the "fluffy" one. Ian never tried to make fun of me, but the twins, especially Adam, did every time they got a chance.

The reason why I am "fluffy" is because of how my family runs. My parents have an interesting way of homeschooling us: each parent get to teach those they chose to teach when we were pups. They normally chose by personality.

Well, I was the only one chosen by my mom; she teaches some self defence but mostly cooking, which is most likely why I am "fluffy". Dad, on the other hand, teaches hunting skills and more self defence. I think that is one of the reasons why they are so mean to me, because they think they're better than me.

I got up. "Oh come on," I said defensively, flattening my ears, "you never gave me a chance."

"Runt," Adam called me that sometimes; he knows it bothers me, "it doesn't take a genius to figure out you're too fat to pull yourself up even the first branch."

My only response to that is dropping my tail to the floor. Thankfully, Ian was on my side, "You never know Adam, he could surprize you. Besides, I've never seen you climb a tree before. Can you even climb a tree?" He smirked triumphantly.

"Of course I can," he scoffed. He changed the subject, "So, who goes first?"

"Well," Ian started, walking towards the base of the tree, tail held upright, "since I came up with the idea," he stopped at the base of the tree and put a white hand on the trunk of the tree, "I'll go first."

He started walking backward away from the tree until he was a good twenty feet away from it. "Okay," he said, his voice confident, "start a countdown."

"5...4...3...2...1...GO!" Sarah yelled.

Ian took off like a speeding bullet. I never knew he was this fast. Right when he got to the tree he started running up it with skill, like he was taught, but dad doesn't teach that.

With that start, he skipped the first two branches and grabbed a hold of the third one. Once he grabbed that, he used the leverage and launched himself to a fourth branch.

The amazing part was all of that took only seven seconds.

Within two minutes and twenty-three seconds, he made it to the highest point he could go.

"How long was that?" he called from above.

Adam and Sarah's jaws were wide open, speechless.

"Two minutes and twenty-three seconds!" I called to him.

I could see his tail wagging rapidly and he gave a howl in celebration, "New record!"

"So," Ian yelled down to us, "who's next?"

Adam and Sarah stared at eachother. I already knew that I wouldn't go next, they would never let me. I lived with them my whole life, I know them well.

There was silence for a few moments, noticed Adam's ear twitched as if he heard something. I looked at Ian, but it looked like he was looking at something behind me. I looked back and saw my grandpa just standing there, his tail swinging back and forward slowly.

"Hey grandpa!" Ian called from the top of the tree.

"Hello there, young ones," he called us that sometimes, "wonderful day we're having."

"Indeed," I heard sarah say. We all respect my grandpa. He always looks like he's thinking of something or remembering something. He looks like he's experienced many things in his life and is very wise.

"So, what are you four doing today?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

"We're having a contest," Adam explained. Sarah explained more of the details.

"We are seeing who could climb this tree the fastest."

"Oh," he said, sounding interested. He looked up at the top of the tree, "how long did it take Ian to get up there?"

"Two minutes and twenty-three seconds," I explained.

"Wow," he said, sounding proud, "that's a new record, right?"

"Yep," Ian called down, "So who's next?" he asked again.

"I'll go," Adam offered.

Adam started to back away from the tree, copying the same thing Ian did. He always does what Ian does; he looks at Ian as a role model, but not enough to learn not to make fun of me.

"Tell me when to go," he told Sarah.

"Okay. 3...2...1...GO!" she yelled.

Adam took off in a full speed sprint; he was not as fast as Ian, but he was close. Once he got to the tree, he started running up it like Ian, but he must've miscalculated. When he got to the second branch, he reached for the third branch and missed. He landed on the first branch with a whimper, then fell to the floor with a thud and a grunt.

I only heard the thud because I looked away; it did not sound good. Sarah ran to him immediately, grandpa and I stayed back.

"Son of a bitch," I heard him mutter, grabbing his right leg.

"Hey, watch that tongue of yours," he warned. My grandpa doesn't appreciate swearing.

Sarah went down to Adam and said, "Here," she tried to pull him up, "I will take you inside." She finally got a good grip on him where she had his right arm. They both went inside; I felt kind of bad for him, but he got what he deserved. Right?

It was silent for a few minutes, finally after a while grandpa said something, "He was doing an expert move that he has never done before; that was bound to happen. He learned his lesson. I hope."

"Well," grandpa broke the silence again, "I assume it's your turn Luke. Am I right?"

I swallowed hard and said, "I think so." I really didn't want to go; after what Adam said and what happened to him, it just seems like a bad idea.

"Come on," grandpa urged me by pushing me a little.

I really don't want to do this. I would rather be cooking inside with mom than doing this. Out of all my life, I have never even thought about attempting climbing a tree, well, it changes today.

I came to the conclusion that I won't beat Ian's time, I don't know anyone who could, so I decided that I will take it slow.

I walked up to the tree, my arms were shaking a little until grandpa encouraged me.

"Ah," he started, "learning from Adam's mistake. Good job, Luke." That gave me a small confidence boost.

I got to the base of the tree and looked at the first branch, it was really high up, but I still tried to reach it. I jumped up to reach the branch, but it was too high. I jumped again and missed again. I tried three more times before I felt like I was going to cry.

I was ready to give up, until I felt a presence come behind me. It was grandpa.

"You need help there?" he asked, with a caring smile. My tail and ears dropped as I nodded. "Well," he started, "up you go." he pulled me up towards the first branch until I could reach it. "Wow, you're heavy," he muttered.

"I know," I replied, embarrassed.

I soon was able to grab the first branch with both arms; then, grandpa let go. Now I really know what he meant when he said I was heavy. I almost fell right away, but I had a good grip.

"Come on Luke!" Ian called from the top of tree.

My arms were already hurting, and I haven't even tried to pull up yet. I don't want to, but I have to. Knowing I could do something Adam could not motivated me to hang there. It was time to pull up, otherwise my arms were going to fall off.

I started to pull up. My arms were shaking and my face was heating up. I'm pretty sure it is red under my fur. One thing I know is that the faster I pull up, the less suffering and pain I have to go through.

With all the energy I had, I did one final push to the first branch, and I made it! I got up and gave my arms felt relieved. I felt really good until I looked up. One down, many more to go. I looked down at grandpa and all he did was nod approvingly.

The second branch wasn't too hard, but the third was when I really could feel it in my arms. I was ready to give up, but I didn't. After two tries, I made it up the branch. I was already panting, and I was really feeling it in my arms.

"Come on Luke, You can do it!" Ian called from the top, which was like thirty branches up.

I started liking this tree, the higher you got, the less spread apart the branches were. I climbed up about twenty more before I looked down. I was really high up. Turns out, I'm kind of afraid of heights. I looked back up and tried to forget I was that high up, it worked for the most part. I could feel minor altitude sickness.

After a good five more minutes, I reached the highest I could go where the branches could support my weight. I felt like dying.

"Congrats, Luke," Ian congratulated me.

"Thanks," I panted in between breaths.

"I never knew you had it in you," he complimented. I was still laying back on the branch, trying to catch my breath. "I'm proud of you."

"I had...to...beat Adam..at something," I replied.

"That really took you out, didn't it?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah."

"So," he began, "Adam tried to copy my move?" I nodded. "Idiot, that move is way too advanced for him, even by dad's teachings."

Dad's teachings? That sounds like he's saying he wasn't taught by dad. "Aren't you taught by dad?"

He was silent for a moment, like he was trying to think of a way to explain something, "No. I am taught by grandpa."

"Grandpa? Isn't he a little too old to train? Especially a move like that."

"You'd be surprised," he answered.

"What does he teach?"

He was silent again, "Sorry," his ears flattened, "I can't tell you."

My tail stopped moving for a bit, but I decided to change the subject.

"Ian?"

"Hmm?" he turned to me.

"Why do the humans hate us so much?"

"Well…" he thought for a moment, "it's because we are different. Humans don't like things that are different; that's just their nature. I don't know if all of that is true, but that's what I think based on what we learned."

"Makes sense," I responded.

"But I don't mind. It is a good life we live, brother."

I couldn't agree more, "The best, and may it never change."

"And may it never change us." He put a hand on my back.

We sat there for a few minutes before we heard mom call us for dinner. "Come on. Let's go." He started climbing down the tree.

Earlier, when I climbed up the tree, I forgot something important: how am I going to get down?

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The few final quotes were from Assassin's Creed 2. I just love that scene in the game. I would also like to thank those who left comments, I really appreciate it! Well, see you later guys.**


	3. Chapter 3: It Begins

**So here's chapter three guys. Sorry it took so long, but I need a new computer. In time I will get one, but for now we just have to wait. Warning: there is some blood in this chapter. I guess that's all I have to say. Enjoy the chapter guys.**

"Come on, Luke!" Ian called to me. There was blood all over him, and he had a slight limp.

"What's going on?" I asked, my eyes watery.

"Just keep running," he ordered.

I listened to what he said and just kept running. It was silent for a few moment while I was running, I dodged in between trees until I ran out of breath. I looked around me and nobody was there. "Hello?" I asked quietly.

There was a loud _bang _sound and birds fluttered everywhere. There was a scream that sounded a lot like my mom.

"Mom!" I called out. It started raining as a second shot came out. The scream stopped. "Mom!" I called out again. I started running as fast as I can, ignoring my fatigue. I ran north where my house was, but all I found was humans.

There were two of them: there was a tall and muscular one with a double-barreled shotgun and he was wearing an orange vest. The other one was short, yet muscular with a rifle in both of his hands. There was blood on the floor but no body.

The humans turned to me and instantly aimed their guns and shot.

The next thing I knew was I was sitting up in my bed. the next thing I heard was a crack and my bed fell. I was panting heavily and was sweating a lot. My heart rate slowed down once I realized it was all a dream. A bad one at that.

Once I calmed down, I looked at my surroundings. One thing that's for sure is that my bed collapsed under my weight again; I'll worry about that later. The house was silent except for some murmurs in the kitchen and some foot steps. Ian wasn't in his bed, so he must be up.

Thinking about my dream, I got up and looked out the window. Nothing. No humans; that's a good thing. I put on a clean shirt and left the room.

When I got to the kitchen, my mom greeted me with a kiss on the forehead, "Morning Luke; how'd you sleep?"

"Terrible," I muttered. I was still tired; I felt like I never even got sleep. This wasn't the first time I had a dream like this. It all started when I learned what dad did to that hunter all those years ago. I was ten before I learned what happened: dad told me I was too young to learn what happened until I turned ten. I'm fifteen now, my birthday was yesterday, so that was about five years ago. I have that dream at least ten times a year, but it's a little different every year.

"Did you have that dream again?" she asked with caring eyes. No matter the case, my mother is the nicest and most caring wolf I have ever met.

"Yes," I replied as my tail drooped.

"Oh, baby," she said as she hugged me, "don't you worry, that will never happen to us."

"But what if it does?" I asked negatively.

"Just don't think like that. We have hidden here before Ian was born, that's over twenty years ago." Ian now is twenty-one if you didn't already do the math. Adam and Sarah are nineteen.

"I'll try not to," I replied. I decided to change the subject to some more to my liking, "What's for breakfast?"

My mom released me and said, "Your father is hunting right now. We would have the rest of the caribou from yesterday if you didn't eat it all," she pointed out and poked my belly.

"What," I said sheepishly, blushing a little, "I couldn't help it, it was really good."

"I know," she replied, "he made sure it was a really good one just for your birthday."

Spring started not too long ago, which means more humans, especially tourists, will be coming by. We haven't been caught before, let's hope we don't this year.

"Well, I have to thank him."

I helped my mom prepare everything while we wait for dad. Apparently, Adam and Sarah went with him; that would explain why it's so quiet around here. I'm normally the last one to wake up, so the house normally is full of activity by the time I get up.

A thought popped up, "Hey, mom," I started. She looked at me and I continued, "where is Ian?" He normally hangs out with me in the morning.

"He's with your grandpa somewhere out in the woods," she explained as she set up the plates on the table.

"Can I go find them?" I asked.

"No," she replied as she finished setting the table, "your dad should be home with food soon. They'll come when they get hungry."

"Okay," I replied.

We waited for a short time before I could smell rabbit and blood. Dad must be home.

I opened the back door to greet them. "Dad!" I called to him. He was carrying his bow and some arrows while Adam held four rabbits and Sarah held three. I ran to greet them.

"Good morning, son," he greeted, "you hungry?" he asked as we walked back to the house.

I was about to reply, but Sarah interrupted me, "How can he be hungry after all of the caribou he ate yesterday," she scoffed. No matter how old they are, they still act like pups at times.

"He a growing boy," dad answered.

"Yeah," Adam said in a mocking tone, "but the real question is is he growing up or out."

My ears flattened to the top of my head. After all of these years of them mocking me, you would think I would be used to all of the mean comments, but they still hurt. I thought when they turned eighteen, they would mature, I guess not.

By the time we all finished our rabbits, Ian and grandpa returned; I could see that Ian was sweating. What kind of strenuous things could they be doing out there?

"Hello everybody!" Ian greeted.

"Good morning, Ian," dad greeted, "There's some rabbit for you two on the counter," he pointed to the two remaining rabbits.

"Thanks." Ian and grandpa ate their rabbits and walked out the door. Where are they going now? It seems that at least once a week and for reason known to me. After a few moments of them being gone, I decided I will follow them. It seems like they are hiding something.

I opened the back door to see a glimpse of white go into the depths of the forest. Now I know the general direction where they're going. I know I have to be stealthy or they will catch me, but I've never had to do anything like that before. Well, there's a first for everything.

As I entered the forest, I couldn't see them, so I used a wolf's best asset: their nose. I smelled around until I caught their scent; it was obviously strong because they were there not too long ago. I'm not trained much with my nose, so if it was old, I would have never caught it.

I followed the trail for five minutes until I heard metal clashing and some talking. I quickly ducked down into a bush where I could see them. I looked and saw grandpa and Ian holding swords; Ian's was longer.

It seemed like Ian had the upperhand, but after a few moves I could barely see, grandpa had Ian on the ground.

"Good try," grandpa said, "but you still have yet to beat that one." What are they talking about, and why do they have swords?

"Now," he started up again, "remember everything I told you about ambushing and spying on an enemy: one, keep very still." I kept shifting my weight without realizing it; It was uncomfortable in this bush.

"Two, you must stay downwind from your target." I could feel the breeze blowing on my back.

"Three, conceal yourself as much as you can. Grey doesn't blend too well with trees, unless at night."

"And four, don't get caught like Luke, here." He looked straight at me. I gulped. "Luke!" grandpa called; I flinched, "get out of that bush."

I hesitated for a few second, but I got out. "Hi," I said sheepishly, flattening my ears.

"You need to work on your hiding techniques, boy," he responded.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," was all he said.

It was silent for a few minutes beside the birds and the occasional peck of a woodpecker. I finally found courage to ask what they were doing.

His answer wasn't what I expected. He said, "I was going to wait till you were sixteen, but fifteen is close enough."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, intrigued. Grandpa and I didn't interact all that much. Whenever I wanted to talk to him, he never answered my questions with direct answers, which made more questions. Why was he waiting till I was sixteen?

He sighed and said, "Follow me." I followed him through the undergrowth of the forest.

"I know how ever since you were but a pup, you wanted to know all the information you could gather, yet I wouldn't tell you much. There's a reason for that."

I stopped for a second, try to understand what he means. "I don't understand."

"You will," he replied, "keep up, please." I followed him into a large cave that was surprisingly well lit. Ian entered behind me.

"Cool," I said.

"Indeed," grandpa said. He went deeper in and told me to stay put. after a little bit, he pulled out a large wooden box. It looked old and used, but it was still functional. He opened it and a bunch of weapons came out of it. My eyes dilated.

Grandpa pulled the sword he was using out of the sheath, "These are the weapons used by the team," he stated.

"Team? What team? What are you talking about?" I asked. This is all news to me.

Grandpa sighed, and said, "You still have so much to learn. Have a seat," he invited pointing to a log that was placed horizontally; probably for a seat. I sat down next to Ian; grandpa sat on the other side. "You better get comfortable, this could take a while," he explained.

"A long time ago, around in the early fifties, when I was in my twenties, I was in a karate club at a dojo. I had four good friends: Victor Owen, Dante Reddy, Dakota Fitzgerald, and Winston Stewart. We were the best team according to our sensei; everyday, we would go and train at his dojo. As the years went by, we kept progressing until I had six black belts and the others had five. I was the team leader."

"So wait," I interrupted, "You had a group of friends in a wolf civilization? Why'd you leave?" I asked.

"How much did Samuel and Dawn teach you about the wolf civilization?" he questioned back.

"All I know is that there was a war and they live hidden in Siberia. We learned a little about the culture too, but not much," I responded, "But why did you leave?"

"I'll explain that later," he said. Finally, I get some explanations around here. After a moment of silence, he continued: "So, at our black belt ceremony, I met a beautiful woman named Lilly. I decided to ask her out, and she accepted. She was white with bright amber eyes that melted my heart. I'm getting off topic, now where were we...oh yes! During that ceremony, some soldiers came to the five of us and offered to become part of the military. My friends said it was up to me, so I kindly rejected."

"Why did you say no grandpa; you would have done a lot of help there?" I asked, not understanding.

"I wanted to use my skill for helping people, not hurting them," he answered. I guess that makes sense. "Anyway," he continued, "a few years passed and Lilly and I were getting married. Well, it was more of a double wedding, Dante was getting married to his mate, Carol. After the wedding, the war began."

"What happened," I asked.

"Well, in the beginning, we were winning and pushing out in all directions. We took over the rest of the Northwest Territories, then we took Yukon and Nunavut; but when we got to Alaska, that brought in the U.S. They started to fight back and win. The military came back and recruited us again, this time I said yes. We needed help."

"How could you five influence the war?"

"We were hired as well trained assassins. We killed our first general a month after we joined. It killed their morale and boosted ours. We were able to kill three more until Victor was shot. He didn't die, but he was in critical condition."

"We were sent on our next mission, but I refused to leave Victor behind, so we refused the mission. I didn't realize that we would have won the war if I didn't refuse. Later on I figure out we were going to kill the president of the United States, but we didn't. We lost the war and was forced to flee to Siberia. We hid our trails so no human would find us. Last I know of, they haven't been caught yet. Once we were in Siberia, our Alpha was, to say the least, not happy with us. He banished us and sent us back to Canada. We decided it was best if we split up, it would be easier to be caught. But before we split, I came to the realization that we should have never went to war, instead, make peace with th-"

"Wait," I interrupted, "Why would you want peace with them? We were taught that if we get caught, they will kill us for research."

"But if we negotiated, we would've had no problems afterwards. There would be peace, and maybe, we could live with the humans. Back to the story," he stated, "Lilly and I moved to Banff National Park; Victor stayed in Siberia, just hidden; Dante and Carol moved to the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan; Dakota went to Yellowstone; and Winston went to La Mauricie in Quebec. Lilly gave birth to Samuel and we started a perfect little family, but that's when disaster struck." His eyes started watering up; this can't be good.

"When Sam was five, Lilly was...she was...killed," he sobbed.

Ian decided to continue the story, his eyes were watery too, "She was caught by the humans and they shot her. Grandpa ran to Jasper with dad and her body. He buried here here in front of this cave. A year later, they found a little anthro girl which soon became out mom. Grandpa and dad built our house, dad had us, and here we are today," he finished.

It was silent for a moment until grandpa collected himself. I decided to break the silence, "Why are you telling me this now?" I asked.

"Because, I want you to carry out my legacy. Make sure no second war starts. Peace is your goal."

"Why are you asking me?" I questioned, "I'm not even close to be fit to be an assassin."

"We were ninja," he pointed out.

"Okay ninja. Either way, I'm in no condition. What about Ian or Adam and Sarah?"

"I already said no when I was sixteen," he replied.

"And Adam and Sarah are too immature. If they can't even treat their younger brother nicely, how could they create peace?"

He had a point. I got up and stretched. "I see where you're getting at, but I think you're talking to the wrong wolf."

Grandpa got up too, "I can train you. Victor wasn't the thinnest either."

"And besides," Ian started, "it would be an amazing adventure, and you never know, you could find that special someone out there," he joked, elbowing my side, smirking.

He kept elbowing me until I said something, "How about this: I start my training, and if I don't like it, I stop and don't become a ninja. Sounds fair?" I bargained.

"Deal," grandpa said, bowing a little.

"So, when do I start?" I asked as we were walking out of the cave.

"Tomorrow."

**Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is finally starting up. Leave a review of what you think. I would appreciate constructive criticism if you have any. See you next time guys.**


	4. Chapter 4: Training

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 4. I might be getting my laptop soon, so there might be faster updates. I typed this whole chapter on my iPod and had my brother edit it. So thank you brother. Reviews are appreciated and enjoy this chapter.**

"You ready to go?" Ian asked. I just got up about two minutes ago and he's already asking me to train? This is going to be a long day.

I rubbed my eyes and said, "Why do we have to train so early in the morning? And isn't grandpa supposed to train me, not you?"

"Why do you think I'm standing here?" a voice said behind me. I turned around and saw grandpa standing behind me with his arms crossed.

My face got hot a little. I should have heard him there. "Oh."

"You have a lot to learn," was all he said before he started walking outside.

My ears flattened; was he mad at me? "Don't let him get to you, Luke. This is how he teaches: not many words but a lot of work. He's kind of blunt. You'll do fine," he comforted. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I replied. It's good to know that if that is going to be a daily thing.

"Come on," he started, "let's go!" he started walking to the door. I followed him. One of the first things I noticed before I even got outside was how much more silent his footsteps were than mine. I never payed much attention to things like this before.

The sun was rising brightly and there was a slight breeze; it was quite relaxing. I followed Ian for about ten minutes. He told me earlier to keep my senses on alert and tell me if I sense anything different.

I could smell a scent marker for a pack border. I didn't know this was wolf territory. I knew wolves live around here, but so close to home?

I told him about the border marker. He said that grandpa told him that two wolf packs united recently and expanded the territory closer to our home. We were in no danger though.

I smelled a bear as well, but it was weak, so I ignored it.

The birds were singing their song as we walked. Now that spring was in full swing, there was a lot of life in the woodlands. I followed Ian out of the tree line until I saw grandpa laying at the edge of a cliff, looking down.

"Hi-" I started. Grandpa shushed me.

"Sit and see," he said. He pointed down the hill; all I could see at first was a semi-big herd of caribou. They were grazing in the grass. I never really seen a caribou up this close, but it was awesome. I would say they were about one hundred feet away.

I was looking at the caribou when Ian tapped my shoulder. I looked at him and he pointed right of the caribou. There were four wolves.

The wolf in the front was tan with a white wider belly; it was a female. I think she was leading the hunting group. She looked at the wolf next to her; he was a fiery red wolf with a cream underbelly. Behind those two were two grey and black wolves with white underbellies, but one was really short while the other was tall and muscular.

I was in awe; I have never seen a wolf hunt before. Dad told me the were an amazing sight to behold. This will be good.

I looked back to the wolves and noticed the tan and red one were splitting from the two grey ones. I could see the short grey one come closer to us and behind the caribou herd. He was soon being followed by the much bigger grey wolf. I saw the tall one nod to the short one and vice versa. Then out of nowhere, they both blew their cover and started running and barking at the herd. The herd took notice and started running straight away and the two wolves took chase.

The herd ran for about thirty seconds before I noticed that the tan and red wolf were running to the side. The red one bit down on one of the legs and the caribou tripped. Once it fell, he let go of it and helped the tan one take down a different one. The tan one was already had her jaws locked on the throat; the red one went for the stomach.

The caribou the red one took down earlier was now being pounced by the two grey ones. It was a bloody kill.

Shortly after, when they were dragging the caribou, a different grey wolf came down a hill to our right and went straight to the tan wolf and nuzzled her. They probably are mates. He doesn't really seem like an Alpha, but you never know.

I could barely hear what the grey wolf said, but since I have good hearing, I could hear him say, "Good job Kate." That was all I could hear. So the tan one's name is Kate. Okay.

I was going to keep listening, but I felt something tap my shoulder; it was Ian. I looked to him and he pointed behind him: grandpa was leaving. I nodded to Ian and started following them. We went back into the forest and I followed grandpa. We ended up back into his den where he had his ninja stuff.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed once we got into the den.

"It was executed well," grandpa agreed, "I've watched those wolves for years, the red one I don't know. He must be from the Eastern Pack, but the tan one's name is Kate. She is the daughter of the Alpha male and female. The short one's name is Candu, he is very aggressive; I know from experience," he stated.

"You met one before," I asked in awe.

"Yes, he wanted to fight, but I got away before it started. Wolves don't interact well with us, but they are much more generous than the humans are," he explained.

"Cool. Did they ever try to hunt you down?" I asked.

He thought for a money before he answered, "A few did, but they didn't do anything when they found me. The Western Pack isn't one for fighting, besides Candu and a few others. They found out I wasn't a threat, so they left me alone."

"The fall grey wolf's name is Hutch, he is the Beta, or second-in-command, of the pack. He is very loyal."

This is cool; I didn't know that grandpa knew the wolves of the area. "How did you get to know these wolves?" I asked.

"I've watched them for years, there was almost a war between the two packs, but they found peaceful ways. I learned a few names and ranks. That third grey wolf was an Omega; I have no idea what he was doing with Kate. Last I checked, Alphas and Omegas couldn't be mates."

"Oh," I said, "That sounds unfair," I said.

"It's pack law for all wolves," grandpa stated. It was sent for a few moments until grandpa changed the subject, "I showed you this to show you teamwork. One day, you will make a team, and be as good as that."

"You just need to find other people and train them to work as a team," Ian pointed out.

"Yes," grandpa agreed, "but first, I will train you enough so you can go find others and still be safe."

"That is if I agree," I pointed out.

"Of course," grandpa replied.

"Well," I started, "What am I going to learn today?" I questioned.

"Did you have breakfast today?" he asked. I said no, "Good, then we will start with control and patience." He got up and said, "Follow me."

I followed him back to our house where I could smell fresh killed caribou. My mouth began to water and my tail wagged a little. Grandpa told me to wait outside while he goes and gets me some caribou.

I sat out there, waiting, sitting on the bench. It has been five minutes and he still hasn't come out. My stomach kept yelling at me which made it worse. I had enough of this, so I went opened the door, but it slammed shut about halfway through.

"You have to wait Luke. Have some patience," I heard grandpa through the door.

My ears flattened am I started to whimper. Maybe a guilt trip will do him good.

"Nice try tubby, but begging won't help," grandpa mocked. I snorted and went back to the bench. Hearing him call me "tubby" was a usual thing said by Adam or Sarah, but grandpa? It's probably some kind of motivation.

After a good ten more minutes, I heard the door open; my ears pricked up as I looked to the door. And there was my savior, Ian, coming out with a decent sized chunk of meat on as plate.

"Finally," I exclaimed, getting up to grab the plate out of his hands. But Ian stopped me.

"Nope," he said, "this is mine," he explained.

He sat down next to me and slowly ate the caribou. The would stop sometimes and tell me how good it was. I couldn't resist, I finally cracked and tried to grab some of the caribou off of Ian's plate, but he stabbed my hand with his fork.

I yelped and pulled my hand back. It didn't hurt much, more of a shock. Shortly after, grandpa came out empty handed.

"Where's my food?" I asked.

"Patience Luke, you will get some food soon enough," he said calmly, walking off of the porch and out into the forest, "Follow me boys," he called.

Ian started following, but I hesitated. I looked back inside only to find my mom in there nodding at me. So I followed grandpa and Ian.

I followed them to the riverbed where we clean our clothes. They were sitting on a sideways log we use sometimes for campfires in the summer.

"Are you putting me on a diet or something?" I asked. I sure hope not, diets suck.

"No," grandpa explained, "Just a training exercise. Your waistline shouldn't affect you in the way I will train you. I will train you like Victor was trained: to use your weight as an advantage."

Good. "Then can I have food now?" I asked, hoping to get some food.

"Nope," Ian said, taking a bite out of his caribou.

"What!" I exclaimed, "This is completely unfair," I muttered.

"Well," grandpa ignored me, "time for training!" I tensed up, sitting there waiting for my first lecture. "

You will be working on meditation today," he stated, "It involves a lot of patience and rest. This is basic stuff. It helps relieve stress and calms you down when you have a problem."

"Okay," I said, listening.

"So cross your legs," I did that, "close your eyes," done, "and take deep breaths and relax," he told me.

I did as he instructed and started meditating. The calming sounds of the river helped. I almost forgot I was hungry, but I spoke too soon. Shortly after I started, I could smell the caribou like it was right in front of my face.

_Just calm down, Luke, _I told myself, _you can do this. This is only the first lesson. _

In all of the silence, I could hear my stomach growl. It was kind of embarrassing, but I can't control it. After a few minutes of this calming moment, I felt something warm touch my hand. I had no idea what it was, I almost didn't notice it.

"Open your eyes," I heard grandpa whisper.

I opened my eyes to a piece of caribou in my hands resting on my legs. It had bite marks of it; probably Ian's.

I looked up to grandpa; he had a blank expression on his face, so I looked to Ian. He had his well known grin on his face and an empty plate in his hands.

I hesitated grabbing the caribou, I was afraid I was going to get in trouble for eating it, but grandpa nodded. I tore away at the chunk of caribou.

It was silent as I ate, I wasn't complaining, I had food and that's what was important.

"I've never seen anyone eat so happily," Ian stated.

"I have," grandpa said. We didn't say anything.

When I finished the caribou, I got up to wash my hands and muzzle in the river. "So," I started, "was that it for the day?"

"Nope," grandpa answered, "we finished the first part, but now we get to the fun stuff."

"What do you mean by 'fun stuff'?" I asked skeptically . I have a bad feeling about this.

"Today we start endurance training!" Ian said, sounding a little too excited. My tail dropped.

"So," I started, "how are we going to do endurance training?" I asked.

We are now in an open field that is covered in wolf scent, but no wolves to be seen. We went home so I could have a real breakfast before we came here. They said I would need the energy to do this and I wasn't going to refuse food; but I don't like the sound of endurance training.

"Well first, I want to see what your endurance is like right now, so I want you to run at the edge of the valley until you can't run anymore," grandpa explained. I don't like the sound of this at all.

I sighed, but I guess you have to take your first steps to a have what you want. "Okay," I said non enthusiastically.

I started off running and I knew I wasn't fit in any way, shape, or form from the beginning. I ran a good quarter of the way until I was starting to feel fatigue. This is ridiculous, what wolf can't run two hundred fifty meters without getting tired?

I was about to stop, but I remembered the day when I climbed the tree with Ian where Adam couldn't do it. I thought to myself, _what if one day I could beat Adam and Sarah in a race? _That encouraged me to keep going. When we were younger, Adam and Sarah would always challenge me to a race even though they knew they would win; they did it to humiliate me, then they would make fun of my weight afterwards. I still don't understand why they are so mean to me.

Even with all of that encouragement, I didn't get much farther; I'm not used to doing all of this running.

I slowed my pace down to a walk and fell of the floor, exhausted. I need a breather.

I heard light footsteps coming to me; it was Ian. He got up to me and sat down, "Don't worry Luke, you'll get it," he encouraged. It took all I had to not cry.

Throughout the day, I either ran, drank a lot of water, or take a break. Ian and grandpa were determined to raise my endurance; they said I will need it. I think their plan started working, but it was so slow, I barely noticed it.

The sun was setting and I was still running. Sweat was pouring down in placed I didn't even know I could sweat; this day took a lot out of me.

"You can stop now Luke!" grandpa called. Those are my new favorite words. I trudged towards the two of them to see my mom with them. There was pride in her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you Luke," mom praised. I was panting too hard to reply. I just wanted water.

"We all are," grandpa stated, "now, I want you to got take a bath in the river."

Why can't I just take one at home is what I would ask if I wasn't panting so hard, but he answered that, "I need you to get used to rough situations so it will be easier when you really need it. Besides, it will feel good after all of that running."

I slowly went to the river and washed up, he told me we would be working on my endurance for the next week. I am not looking forward to that. When I got home, I went straight to bed. No food, sleep.

**So did you catch it? I decided to add Alpha and Omega characters as easter eggs. They will not be part of the plot, but I wanted to add them somewhere. Hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 5: Training Part 2

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. This one will have some combat in it. Enjoy!**

It has been two weeks since I started my training. I finally got the endurance training done. I'll be completely honest: it was the worst week of my life, but it was well worth it in the end, I can now run about a mile and a half before breaking down. He told me we will work on it once a week.

Once we were done with that. He helped me increase my senses, he said they were not as strong as they should be. He started me out with different kinds of prey, that I figured out pretty quickly; I know my food. After that is when it got tricky: I had to do a lot of scavenger hunts last week, but those are done. I wonder what's next?

The sun began to raise, I could feel the warmth of it on my back. We were meditating; grandpa said it is a good way to wake up and become more alert. We started doing this every morning since last week. It does help a little. The water in the river was flowing peacefully and the birds were singing; this is a great meditating spot.

"All right boys," grandpa broke the silence, "time to go." He got up and started to do some stretching. Ian followed.

"What are we doing today?" I asked as I stretched; I felt something crack in my back. It felt nice.

Grandpa started walking away and said, "Hand-to-hand training." I followed immediately. Finally, after these few weeks of torture, I am learning some sort of combat. This will be fun…I hope. We followed grandpa until we reached an opening in the forest; it looks like a campsite the humans would use.

"Okay," grandpa started, "in order to learn anything with swords or other weapons, it is best to be familiar with your hands. Ian and I will improve your coordination and teach you some basic moves for now." I'm so excited.

"Now," he continued, "first you will learn the correct stance I was taught by my Sensei, there are many different forms, but I will be teaching you one."

He put one foot ahead of the other he explained that it was so he could back up if needed or so he can take a hit without falling back. It's a strong stance. "Now you try," he said.

I put my feet just like how his were and raised my fists.

"Good," he said, "I want to test your reaction time," was all he said before he took a swing at me. Instinctively I flinched and covered my face with my arms, I was met with a strong hit on my left arm. I fell back a few paces.

Grandpa sighed, "Fast reaction time, but no form, looks like we need to work on that." He set me back up so I could try again. My arm was probably bruised, but I wanted to learn. Throughout the next hour I got hit a lot in a lot of places, but right when I was about to give up and take a break, I blocked his hit by grabbing his arm.

My eyes went wide and my tail started shaking; I did it, I thought. "I did it," I said still surprised.

"Congrats," Ian said, "but can you do it a second time," he threw a punch at my gut. I grabbed his fist with my right arm while my left hand grabbed his arm. "Wow," was all he said.

"Good job, next we will learn how to block kicks," grandpa explained, "this is much more difficult to master, but in time you will perfect it."

"It took me a whole week," Ian pointed out.

"Now get back in your stance," I followed his order and got back into my stance. "the best way to block a kick is to turn with it," he explained, "I'll demonstrate it with Ian first."

Ian got into his stance and grandpa threw a kick. Ian turned and put his arm on grandpa's leg to the side. Grandpa turned with it and threw a punch with his left arm. Ian quickly spun and grabbed his hand Ian bent his arm until grandpa had his arm behind his back. Then the fight stopped.

I was amazed, it all happen so fast and so smoothly. Is this how people fight like, and to the death? One wrong move could put you in a lot of danger. This is exciting. "Awesome," I said.

"Indeed," grandpa walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "and you will master it in time."

"Well let's go!" I exclaimed excitedly.

We worked on hand-to-hand for two weeks; I still haven't mastered it, but he said I was skilled enough and that we will return to it later. The next thing he taught me is how to track: he said if I'm on my own, I'll obviously need to hunt. Grandpa and Ian had me track them on some days and caribou on others. I asked if I could track other wolves but grandpa said it was too dangerous.

Once we were done with that, they worked on my stealth, they had me hide my scent in many ways: being down wind, getting wet in the river, and some other things I hope I won't have to do again, but if I have to to survive, then so be it.

I have been training for a month and a half now, and so far I have no regrets. I haven't lost much weight, but I do feel healthier. My appetite increased as we started training so nothing really changed. I think I am going to accept being a ninja and leaving.

The next morning, I woke up before Ian; that was the second time this month. Not bad. I decided to go out to the river and meditate after a breakfast. I grabbed some of the leftover meat we had from yesterday and cooked it up. It was delicious. As I was about to go out, I ran into dad. "Morning dad," I greeted, quiet enough not to wake anybody else.

"Good morning, Luke, how'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Fine," I answered.

"You normally not up this early," he pointed out.

"I know, I was going to go out and meditate after having a little breakfast." It wasn't little.

"I see," he said. I started walking out the door when dad called to me, "Luke!" I looked over to him, "Your mother and I are very proud of you."

"Thanks dad," I said as I walked out the door.

While I was meditating, I could feel the sun rise on my back. It's a nice feeling. I sat there for a good twenty minutes before I heard footsteps; it was grandpa and Ian.

"Hi," I greeted.

"Good morning," Ian said, "I see you woke up before me. That rarely happens," he pointed out, while rubbing his eyes.

"Why are you so tired?" I asked, "you went to bed the same time I did."

Grandpa stared at Ian with a stern expression. Ian flattened his ears and lowered his head.

Grandpa answered the question for him, "I caught him coming home from the human city," he said, not sounding happy.

It was silent for a moment. I didn't know what to think. Honestly, I think it's awesome, but I felt like that was the wrong thing to say in front of grandpa. So I said, "Really?" That's the best thing I could think of.

"Yes," Ian responded, "it was a stupid and dangerous idea, but I made it out safe and I found a few interesting things." He pulled something out of his pocket; it was rectangle and black with a white outlining.

"What is that?" I asked.

He looked at it and said, "This is what the humans call a smart phone. It is a way of communicating from long distances, really far distances," he explained. "I have yet to figure it out how they fully work, but I grabbed four just in case," he said, sounding a little boastful.

"I didn't know you were fond of human technology," grandpa mused, looking at the phone, "but you still broke rule number one."

"I know," Ian said, "and I'm sorry." His tail dropped.

"I accept your apology, but you still will be punished," grandpa explained.

"Today," grandpa changed the subject, "you will choose your weapons and start some battle training. We will start with a spar. I was going to spar with you, but now, I decided to have Ian do it with you. That should be a good enough punishment." Ian flattened his ears. "Ever since his second spar, Ian tries to stay away from violence. There was an...accident last time," he explained. He looked away from Ian.

After he mentioned that, I remembered a time three years ago that Ian came home with a large gash on his leg. He told me he fell off a tree and cut his leg, but now I have a feeling that is was not the case.

"Grandpa," Ian started, "stop worrying about that, I've recovered from that, it's okay."

"I know, everybody has their own fears, and mine is endangering my family in any way, shape, or form. It's just something I can't get over ever since Lilly passed away, I feel like I failed her." It was silent again. Grandpa cleared his throat, "But enough of that, let's get down to business," he declared.

"First thing first," grandpa started, "you need to choose your weapon or weapons. Follow me."

We followed him back to the cave where the weapons are at. Grandpa went to the back of the den and grabbed the box. I could hear metal clinking inside of the box. The thought that these weapons killed many people in the past sent shivers up my spine. They will also be the weapons to create peace hopefully when I'm done with them.

Grandpa opened the box and a lot of weapons fell out onto the ground. "Pick a weapon and I will tell you about it," he explained.

I looked at all of weapons; I kind of wanted a sword, they seem like something that shouldn't be too hard to master compared to a lot of these other complex weapons. I picked out a long sword and showed grandpa.

"Ah, Dakota's katana," he pointed out, "He had nightmares whenever he had this sword in possession, so he gave it to me. He was very skilled with it; give it a try," he encouraged.

I went outside and grabbed it with both hands, the sword seemed a little too heavy for me. I swung it around a few times in the air and I almost lost balance. It was too heavy. Next.

I decided to find something other than a sword. I found something that is a short stick with a curved blade making it look like an L. "The kama," grandpa stated, "no one in our team used this, we mostly had swords. Are you considering this one?" he asked. I nodded and he told me to try it out. I went outside and did the samething I did with the katana. This one didn't feel right; I didn't really like it.

I went back into the box and took a look at a few weapons. The most comfortable of them all so far was the katana, so I decided to back to swords.

I picked up a shorter sword. It felt perfect as I grabbed it. Grandpa walked up to me and said, "This was what I used. I got it when I earned my black belt. It has served many years in the military and it never lost its edge. I went everywhere with it."

"Cool," I said, "just picking it up felt comfortable. It is light unlike the katana. What is it called?" I asked, looking at it.

"The ninjato, pretty much a shorter and straighter katana. I prefer it over the katana," he claimed.

I went outside and swung it around. This was definitely my sword. "Okay," I called to them inside, "I'm choosing the ninjato."

"Great," Ian said happily as he walked outside, "I'm using the katana, I was trained with that. Good luck," he said.

"Okay," grandpa started, "I will set you both up in different places then you will have to find the other. Remember: no maiming. The first to have their back on the ground loses. I'll move Luke first. Once you hear me howl, you may begin." Seems fair enough. Ian and I both nodded as grandpa guided me to my location. We walked for a good five minutes to the base of a large oak tree. "Wait here," grandpa ordered.

"Okay," I returned.

I stood there for a while, looking over the sword I chose. On closer inspection, I noticed the widest part of the blade had the word Wolfe engraved into it. That's awesome.

I heard the howl. Time to start.

Immediately, the fur on my neck rose as I started to walk back to where we were. On my way back, I thought of something: what if Ian tries to ambush or flank me, he has ninja training after all. I decided I should use my tracking skills I was trained on.

I opened my mouth and took a deep breath and caught grandpa's trail and a rabbit's trail right away, but no Ian. I extended my hearing to its max; maybe I could hear him. Nope. Let's keep moving towards the direction I think he is.

I found a clearing in the forest and I tried picking up his scent two more times, but I found nothing. I think he is masking his scent. _Damn it _I cursed under my breath. Why did not think of that; I'm pretty much a sitting duck now. _Might as well wait for him to come for me then, _I decided. It was silent for a long time; I had my eyes and ears on full alert. I have no idea where he will come from, so I had my sword at the ready.

After standing there for a while, I heard something in the trees behind me. I turned around and squinted my eyes in the sun. Clever, hiding himself in the sun, but I could hear him. "Come on out Ian," I whispered. I would rather fight in the open right now. I don't want to hit a tree with my sword and lose my grip, so he'll bring the fight to me.

I heard more sounds, but they were moving to my left. I followed the sound with my eyes. Soon enough, Ian came out of the trees. Time to fight.

My heart started racing as he charged me. He had his sword raised up to his right. He was going to slash diagonally down to the left. I only had little time to react, but grandpa said I have one of the best reaction times he's seen. I side-stepped to the right.

Ian missed, but his recovering time was better than mine. He used his current momentum to spin and did a side swing. I had the time to bring up my sword to block it. He hits hard, I almost lost my grip. Both of our hands went back from the blow. I took the time to back up. Defence, then offence. Ian swiftly advanced forward; he was about to chop down by my feet. I quickly jumped and he missed. Offence time. I was about to take a swing when I landed, but he used the same spinning trick as earlier. I blocked it, but then my heart stopped, I dropped my sword.

Ian turned to make his final attack to claim his victory, but as he did, I instinctively put my left foot over his right and grabbed his wrist. I squeezed as hard as I could. He dropped his sword. I kicked it away.

Ian took a few steps backwards in order to recover. He knew as well as I did in hand-to-hand combat, weight was an advantage, so he tried to go for his sword. When he went down to grab it, I rammed him with my shoulder. Ian grunted and landed hard on the floor. I quickly grabbed his sword and pointed it to him.

"Checkmate," was all I said.

His eyes were wide, "how did you do that!?" he asked in utter shock.

I shrugged and threw the sword down in the grass and helped Ian up. "Dunno, I just did it out of instincts, I guess."

I heard clapping behind me and turned around to see grandpa. "Good," he said, "I told you using your weight in hand-to-hand is effective." He walked up to me, put a hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm proud of you. You will make a great ninja."

"I will teach you some of the basics this week," he told me, "Today, we will work on your grip and basic attacks. Those are your weak spots that I can see right now."

"Cool, but, can we have some lunch first," I smiled sheepishly.

Grandpa chuckled, "You and your food."

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I got the laptop, so I'm hoping I can update a little faster and maybe weekly. This was my first combat scene; I would greatly appreciate some tips from you guys on how to write better ones. See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6: Family Time

**Hello, guys. I'm back with another chapter. I'm kind of surprised how fast I wrote this one. It's my longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoy.**

A few months have passed by; it is now August. Grandpa said I am done with my basic and survival training, which means I can finally go out and look for the grandchildren of the the original ninja wolf team. He said if I can't find them, I can choose other anthros instead.

Once I was done with that first spar with Ian, grandpa let me choose my other weapons. He said every ninja has to be prepared for any situation. I now have shurikens (or throwing stars), and sleeping darts and a blow dart; poison is too inhumane to use. When I thought that's all I was going to get, grandpa handed me his most prized weapon: the claws.

The claws are custom-made by one of grandpa's close friends during the war. They are gloves with titanium claws that can cut through a lot of things. They are also padded all over so you can grab blades with them. I think those could come in use.

During those few months, I worked on improving the skills he already taught me. There was a lot of spars. I have a nasty cut on my left arm, but it is mostly recovered; it doesn't hurt much told me that we will learn a few more thing before I go, but they are some of the easy stuff I kind of seen first hand before. He said I would see those today. I now understand what he means: today is our annual family camping trip. We go out in the woods, hike for ten miles, camp for the night, and take a different ten mile route back home. Grandpa said the day after that, I would leave.

"Are they almost ready?" dad asked, tapping his foot on the back porch wood, "Those two take forever every year. We could of had fives miles in already." We were waiting for mom and Sarah.

"Patience Samuel," grandpa stated calmly, putting a hand on dad's shoulder, "they will be here soon."

"I think five miles is a bit of an exaggeration, dad," Adam pointed out, grumpily. He's not happy right now. Ian told me that dad talked to him to not to try to ruin the experience for me like last year. Last year, he hid my food from me. I had to starve for the last ten miles; it was not pleasant for all of us. Mom's probably talking to Sarah right now. She and Adam always work together against me, and they are at their worst on any special occasion.

"Girls," Ian muttered, "they always take way too long to get ready." He looked at me and smirked. I chuckled a little; he was right, they do take forever. It took a while, but they finally came outside with their backpacks on. "What took you so long?" Ian asked, his smirk turning into a smile.

"We had to get ready," Sarah defended.

"So did we, it doesn't take a year to pack a backpack and leave," Adam whined. I just laughed; just like grandpa said: you need patience.

"Okay, enough fussing," grandpa ordered, "time to get a move on. Where are we going Luke?" What?

"Why are you asking me," I asked.

"You're leading this time," dad told me. My ears flattened and I looked at grandpa.

"You need to work on your leading skills. If you're going to be the team leader, I need to see how you lead and give you some tips."

"I don't know much about hiking; every year I just follow you guys."

"Quit being a baby," Adam scoffed, "it's not that hard to walk on a trail," he turned to grandpa, "haven't you trained him how to do anything?"

I could feel a growl rising in my throat for two reasons: one, he insulted me;and two, he questioned grandpa's teachings. My tail was flickering slightly as I said, "Okay, we head north." I started leading us deeper into the woods.

It was silent besides everybody footsteps and the occasional bird, the sun was about halfway to its highest point. I felt like they all were waiting for me to order them to do something. What does dad normally say when we go on one of these? I wish I paid attention all of those camping trips.

Okay, let's think logically with this: we should be checking the scents for humans or and other large predator. Yeah, that's a good idea. "Ian," he looked at me, "can you check for scents?"

"Sure thing," he replied. I saw him raising his head and started sniffing. Once he was done, he said, "Nothing besides a stray caribou. We're good."

"Good. Thanks," I thanked him.

We got to a thin spot of the woods where I could see the sky. It was noon. As I noticed it, my stomach growled. Time for lunch.

"Adam and Sarah," I started. They both looked at me, "would you mind going hunting for lunch?" I asked politely.

"Is fatty hungry," Sarah scoffed, mom and dad glared at her. Her tail lowered a little.

"We normally don't eat lunch until we make it to the campsite," Adam pointed out, "Besides, didn't you have a big breakfast before we left?"

Oh yeah. My face reddened a little. Fur may cover a blush, but us anthros can sense one. Luckily, mom defended me. "If the group leader wants to stop and eat, then let him eat." She looked at me with a smile on her face, "Adam and Sarah would love to go hunting for you."

They both walked by me, grumbling and muttering not nice things. I saw their grey tails disappear deep into the trees. We waited for a few minutes until Adam showed up with a rabbit with Sarah following behind. I thanked them, ate the rabbit raw (Yes, we can do that.), and went on our way. We still had a good five miles to go.

Another two-and-a-half miles passed by without any problem. "Grandpa, can you do a quick smell check?" I asked. I've had everybody switching every half hour or so.

"Yes," he replied. He parted his mouth and took a big whiff. He started lowering his head, but he stopped. "Wolves," he declared, "heading strait for us."

"Everybody hide!" dad and I ordered at the same time. We looked at each other for a second, then we split off.

I saw Ian and grandpa take for the top of the trees while mom, dad, Sarah, and Adam hide in the undergrowth. I went behind a tree.

I peeked my head around the edge to see the tan wolf from earlier in spring; what was her name again, it doesn't matter. There also a reddish-brownish, muscular wolf with her. Lastly, there was a broad and tall one next to the female; he was grey. The grey one was sniffing the ground while the other two were talking. I could hear their conversation.

"Come on Kate," that's her name, "you know you took that caribou right out from under me. I think that was kind of cheating," the red one said.

Kate giggled before saying, "Just admit I'm a better hunter than you, isn't that right Hutch?" she looked at the tall grey one.

"I guess," he replied, "but can you help me, Winston told me the activity of rogues have increased. I found the scent of wolves, but they have the smell of human too."

"That could be dog you're smelling," Kate pointed out. Please listen to her advice, I don't really want to get caught. "It's probably nothing. Let's east, that's the last place to check and I want to get home to Humphrey."

"And I want to get home to Lilly," the red one said.

Hutch just nodded his head, "Young love," he muttered, "At least you two have we're done in the east, I'll report to Winston and Tony so you guys can see your mates."

"Thanks Hutch," Kate thanked. After that, they were out of sight range. All of us hid until we knew they wouldn't hear us and come back.

"Well," dad started, "that was interesting. I rarely run into the wolves while hunting."

"I've only ran into them one other time, and that was back in the spring. Let's keep moving," I commanded, "I would prefer having some time to set up camp before the sun sets." So far, I honestly don't mind being a leader. I don't understand why I was complaining at first.

Finally, after no more interruptions, we reached our destination. I chose one of the most beautiful parts of Jasper: North of us, there was a big waterfall with a small lake, you could see the beautiful mountains from here, it was a big open field, and humans don't come here often. We've camped here before, and we had no problem.

Time to set up.

"Okay," I started. I went on my knees and pulled out the tent, "grandpa and Ian can start working on one tent, mom and I will work on the other." We needed two tents to hold all of us. "Adam, Sarah, and dad, you can go out and hunt. I think one caribou should be fine."

Dad said, "Okay," and took Adam and Sarah with them.

Ian started pulling his tent out of his backpack and started working on it. Tonight, I'm sleeping with grandpa and Ian while the other four will sleep in the other tent; there should be room.

I started walking away from the site, "I'll be right back, I'm going to go get a drink." They all nodded and went back to work.

It's not to far a walk, you can always hear the waterfall nearby, and the water is always fresh and clean. I got to the lake, went on my knees, cupped my hands, and started drinking. That is until I felt something pushing me! I fell in the water, and wow was it cold. My head surfaced shortly after and I saw Adam laughing on the floor.

I growled loud enough that I knew he could hear it within his laughing fit. That shut him up pretty good. I took a few deep breaths and said, "Shouldn't you be out hunting?" I asked irritably.

"I was, but I couldn't miss this opportunity," he answered with a chuckle.

I stared cold daggers at him as I started swimming out. It will take forever for my fur and clothes to dry out. As he saw my coming out, he just walked away with his bow in hand.

I shook as much water out as I could; it's hard to do with a sweatshirt on. I stomped back to camp, Ian was the first to see me, "Wow, Luke, I didn't know you were that thirsty," he joked.

I growled again and said, "Adam."

Ian smile went down as I said that, mom went up to me and said, "Poor baby," she would have hugged me if I wasn't wet, "I'll start the fire." I forgot to tell someone to start a fire. Good thing grandpa and dad brought firewood in their backpack.

After twenty minutes of shivering, mom finally got the fire set. I took off my sweatshirt which helped a little bit, but the fire definitely helped more. I was mostly dry when I saw our hunting party returning; Adam looked at me and grinned.

Mom walked up to him and said, "You're going to be sleeping outside tonight."

I heard grandpa say, "It's going to be a cold one." Mom ignored him.

Dad walked up to mom, "Why, what did he do?" he asked her. She pointed at me and said, "He pushed Luke into the lake when he was taking a drink."

Dad didn't look to happy about that, "That's where he went, he said he was checking the surroundings."

"Nope," I grunted.

"Well then," he said, "I think that punishment is fair enough. You make Luke cold, you can spend a night in the cold." And so he did. Something was missing: normally Adam and Sarah work together. I soon figured out that she wasn't out of the picture.

It was in the middle of the night when I felt something crawling on my arm. I groggily opened my eye. It took me a little bit before I realized there was a grasshopper on me. That wasn't it, there were a lot of bugs on me all over. I hate bugs. I quickly zipped open the tent door and jumped out quietly. I didn't want to wake anybody else up, but it seems like someone else was up. I saw Adam sleeping by the burnt out fire, so it wasn't him. I heard chuckling from behind me. I went to the other side of the tent and saw Sarah trying not to laugh by covering her muzzle with a hand. I stared at her for a few minutes and left. I'll worry about this in the morning.

I went back into the tent; Ian and grandpa are still sleeping. Good. I checked the tent for anymore bugs, but there wasn't any. I went back under the blanket and fell asleep.

"Rise and shine, everybody!" I heard dad call. Ian and grandpa were still sleeping.

"Honey," I heard my mom whisper, "It's Luke's job to wake everybody else up."

"I know," he said like a little pup, "It's hard to hand leadership over to someone else," he pointed out.

"I understand, we aren't going to see Luke for a long time after tomorrow. I'm going to miss him," she sniffed. Was she crying? I've never seen her cry. I'll give them some time.

I crawled up to Ian and tapped him on the forehead. I heard him moan as he started to stretch. I backed away; Ian has a huge stretching radius. I barely missed it. I can't say the same for grandpa though.

Ian's right arm hit grandpa square on the nose, and he instinctively grab Ian's arm. Probably thinking he is an intruder.

Ian's eyes opened right away as he turned to grandpa. "Grandpa, it's me, Ian."

Grandpa slowly opened his eyes and turned to Ian. Once his mind cleared, he let go of Ian and said, "Sorry, bud."

"Time to get up," I told them both, "We got a long hike ahead of ourselves." They both got up and we all left the tent.

"Good morning," mom greeted us.

"Morning," I responded.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Besides the bugs, good."

"Bugs?" mom questioned.

"Ask Sarah. I bet she would love to talk about it," I responded nonchalantly.

Mom turned around and went back into her tent. At that point, I saw Adam waking up by the burnt fire. He was shivering a little. I felt bad for him, but he brought it upon himself.

I heard a zipper opening and I turned back to the tent. Mom and Sarah was coming out. She didn't look happy.

"Well Sarah," mom started, "do you have anything to say to Luke?"

She raised her head and said, "Sorry, Luke."

"That's more like it. We're a family and we have to treat each other with respect," mom said, "Luke, you and Sarah are going hunting together for a little bonding time. Just get us a caribou, then we can cook it and leave."

"Yes, mother," Sarah said.

"Good. Happy hunting."

I went to grab my sword and the claws so I could go hunting. I heard Sarah explaining to Adam what happened last night, he was snickering. "Ready?" I interrupted. I wasn't looking forward to hunting with Sarah; at least it's not Adam I'm hunting with.

"Sure," it was silent for a moment, but she broke it, "Where do we go?"

"Where you went yesterday."

"Okay." I could see mom smiling as I left, I smiled back. We walked in the woods for ten minutes in complete silence; it was awkward. Finally, she broke the silence, "Look, I know you're still mad at me from last night and I know we both have different hunting styles."

"Where are you going with this?" I asked skeptically.

"How about I make it up to you and add a little fun to this. Let's have a hunting contest: first one to catch a caribou wins."

"Okay, two things: one, we only need one caribou; and two, did you get this idea from the wolves yesterday?"

"I know you could eat almost a whole caribou yourself," she poked my belly, "and yes, I get inspiration from them."

I pondered for a moment. Then I reached out my hand, "Deal," I agreed, "meet back here." She nodded and took off with her bow. She may have have range, but I have assassin training.

I took the general direction Sarah was going because she knew where the caribou were located. From what I know, caribou don't often go in forests, they graze in plains; more of a challenge for me. I followed her scent trail until I caught a caribou one, then I started following that one.

Just as I predicted: they would be in the plains, but there were less than I thought. I looked into the plains only to find three caribou: one male and two female. Time to make my approach.

Luckily for me, the grass was pretty tall and there were some obstacles blocking their view, and I was downwind from them. I was a good fifty yards from them; I need to get closer. I was able to get to about twenty yards without a problem, but this is when I have to be super careful not to mess up.

I was about to make the next approach, but the male caribou looked up. He wasn't looking at me, but whatever it was looking at, it didn't like; it started running away. The two females followed him. My tail dropped to the ground, what were they scared of? It better not be Sarah.

A few moments later, I felt the ground shaking and heard a warning howl. Sounded like Sarah. I looked to my right only to see one of a hunter's biggest nightmare: stampede!

My heart skipped a beat, they were heading straight for me! I turned tail and started running. I was going to run out of its trail, but it was coming too fast. I turned so I was running away and in its trail. Do I really think I can outrun a stampede? I must be crazy.

They were gaining on me and I had nowhere to go. i looked to my left to see Sarah running on the outside of the stampede, fear in her eyes.

Run! That's all I could think at this point.

I was running out of time, and pretty soon, I felt something hit my side. I fell over and just closed my eyes waiting for my end. But it didn't come. I could hear the caribou's hooves beating the ground as they passed me. I opened my eyes to see hooves on top of me; they were jumping over me.

A good minute passed before it ended. I closed my eyes again, not believing what just happened.

"Well that was close," I heard a voice. I didn't recognize it; it was masculine and young, that's all I knew. I opened my eyes to see green one looking right back at me. It was a wolf. My eyes widened. "Stampedes are dangerous," he pointed out.

I finally found my voice, "Thanks, um…"

"Deklan, the name's Deklan."

"Thanks Deklan. That's funny, my middle name is Deklan," I said. What a coincidence.

"What's a middle name?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Nevermind that…"

I was interrupted by footsteps. I looked to see Sarah, tears in her eyes. "Luke!" she yelled as she ran to me. Before I could get up she reached me and hugged me really tightly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know that you were down here."

Deklan looked surprised and scared a little at seeing Sarah. "What are you guys," he asked shyly.

I was still hugging Sarah, comforting her as she cried on my shoulder; my heart rate was going back to normal. I answered his question, "We are call anthropomorphic wolves, or anthros for short. Half wolf, half human."

"Cool," he said in awe. That's my first positive reaction I ever heard.

"Are you the rogue that the other wolves were talking about?" I asked him.

"Rogues…" he put a paw on his chin, thinking, "No, I was a lone wolf for a while, but I recently joined this pack with my friend," he answered smiling.

Sarah finally stopped crying and turned around, leaning on me, "Thank you for saving my brother. I didn't know he was down here."

Deklan looked at Sarah for a moment before saying, "You started the stampede?"

"It was a mistake!" she defended herself, "I was hunting...and...I..." her voice was faltering. I decided to interrupt.

"Go easy on her, Deklan, she's had a rough morning. I think we need to head home now. Thank you again."

"Anytime. I hope I will see you again," he called as we walked away.

We walked in the woods in silence; apparently, Sarah did catch a caribou. I had one arm dragging the caribou, it wasn't too big, and I had my other arm around her. She was shaken up pretty badly. I'm not saying I wasn't, but I had to take care of her. She finally found her voice and broke the silence.

"Can we please not tell mom and dad about this? I don't want them to know I almost killed you today," she chuckled a little. I sat there quietly for a moment. "I can do all the talking, this wouldn't be the first time I lied to them."

"Why would you lie to your parents? Also, how do you lie to them; we are pretty much lie detectors."

"I don't want to lie to them," she defended, "most of the time I'm defending Adam, the other is because I don't want to get in trouble; mom can be scary."

I chuckled, "She'll do anything to protect me, huh. Sometimes she does over exaggerate; she still thinks I'm her baby. It's going to crush her heart," I pointed out.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I'm going to miss you too. Adam will, he just won't admit it; we're all family, and we all love each other. "You know," she broke the silence another time, "when you're out there, you might want to know how to lie; it can be useful on certain occasions. It's not that hard really, you just have to convince yourself you aren't lying."

"Hm," I thought outloud, "That might be helpful, thanks."

"Anytime," she responded.

We got back to camp with our caribou, everybody was looking at us. "Are you two okay," Ian asked, "We heard a warning howl and it sounded like Sarah."

"We heard it too," she lied, "It did kind of sound like me, but it wasn't."

"Looks like the bonding went well," mom stated. I still had my arm around her.

"Yep," I said, "she caught a caribou," I nodded my head toward the caribou in my other hand.

"Great," dad said, "Ian, will you go grab some firewood…" mom elbowed his side.

I laughed a little and ordered, "Dad, can you go get the pan?" in a mocking tone.

Dad laughed and said, "Sure thing, son."

We all had our share of caribou, Sarah and Ian sitting on both of my sides. We didn't talk about our hunting accident, and they never asked. It almost felt like grandpa knew, but he didn't say anything.

"So, Luke?" grandpa said as I was finishing my caribou, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"As ready as I will ever be," I answered.

"Good enough," he said.

"Time to pack up and go home," I said. My last camping trip with my family, and hopefully not my last.

**So it looks like Sarah has changed. Wow, what a chapter. I'm excited because I was able to introduce Deklan. I have been planning out another story and it's about him, so I decided to add him into this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. See you next time.**


	7. Chapter 7: The First Steps

**Here's chapter seven guys. From now on, swearing will be more common. The outside world is not as nice as living in secret.**

"Psst...Luke," I felt someone poking me, "it's time to get up."

I opened my eyes a little bit to see Ian in front of me, "Wha..." I asked, tired.

I closed my eyes, I heard him laugh a little and said, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"Five more minutes," I said. I was still tired from our camping trip, especially the stampede. That took a lot out of me. It was a good thing Deklan was there. We never told anyone what happened, and we plan to never tell them, well, maybe in the future. After the stampede, we had no incidents on our way home, which was a good thing.

I heard Ian walking away. Good, now I can sleep in peace.

It didn't last too long though, I soon heard loud footsteps coming and water sloshing around in something. I was too tired to think though. Next thing I knew, I was wet and cold. My eyes widened as I sat up, I saw Adam laughing with a bucket in his hands. Ian was right behind him, laughing along.

"What gives?" I asked angrily.

"I warned you," Ian said once he stopped laughing, "I said 'we could do this the easy way or the hard way.'"

I sighed as I got up, "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Adam replied, "you stink, go take a bath." When we got home, everyone took a bath besides me, I was too tired to take one, I went straight to bed.

"Fine," I stated, "after breakfast."

Ian handed me a towel, I dried before leaving the room. I looked at my bed, it was all wet. _It's only water_, I told myself, _no harm done. _As I looked at my bed, it hit me: this will be my last day sleeping in this bed for a while; I'm leaving today. The realization hit me like a brick to the face, _how could I forget that? _

I went into the kitchen to see everybody awake, doing their own thing. Mom was in the kitchen, packing a backpack. "Hi mom," I greeted, "what are you doing?"

She turned around, her eyes were watery, and she immediately hugged me. "I'm going to miss you," she said.

I assumed that was my backpack she was packing, "I'm going to miss you too," I replied, "but I'll be back, I promise."

She sniffed and said, "I know you will."

We hugged for a minute before she let me go, "You can take a bath while I prepare your breakfast. What do you want?" she asked.

I thought for a minute, "Regular caribou is fine, thanks." I was starting to walk out the door before mom said, "Where are you going?"

"Grandpa said I should bathe in the river to hide my scent when I leave." I explained.

"Okay," she replied.

I left the house and took a quick bath; I didn't want to take long because I was hungry. I returned back to the house to find everybody outside.

"Morning, Luke," grandpa greeted.

"Good morning," I greeted back, "why are you all outside?" I tilted my head.

"It's best if you leave early to get an early head start, so after breakfast, you will leave," he explained.

"Alright," I agreed. That was the slowest breakfast I have ever had, I wasn't ready to leave my family. To be completely honest, I was scared.

I finished my breakfast. Now it's time to say my goodbyes. I went up to my mom first and hugged her tightly, "Bye mom," I said. I told myself I wasn't going to cry; so far so good. It was hard though.

She started crying and said, "Bye, Luke, stay safe and make wise choices. It's a dangerous world out there."

"I will." I next went to grandpa and hugged him, "Thank you for this offer, grandpa; and thank you for all of the training. I will be sure to use it to the best of my ability."

"I know you will. You'll make a fine ninja. There are things in your backpack that will help you find the locations, just search around in there and you will find some helpful things."

After that was done, I went up to dad, "Thanks for all of the food you hunted me for the past fifteen years," I joked as I hugged him.

He chucked, "Be yourself out there, son. The world is dangerous, they need someone like you to brighten them up."

"I'll do my best," I replied.

Next was Ian, "I have no idea how the heck you beat me in that first spar, but I have no doubt you will beat everybody else you meet," he said as he hugged my. I laughed a little.

I walked up to Adam, he seemed a little hesitant, but he got over that quickly, "I don't want my little bro taken by humans; make sure that doesn't happen," he hugged me, "and don't get shot, that would be bad."

"I won't," I told him confidently.

Last but not least: Sarah. I walked up to her, she had tears in her eyes, "Good luck, Luke. If you can survive a stampede, I have no doubt you can survive anything."

I could hear the other members of my family talking to each other, trying to figure out what she meant by that. "Can you tell them what happened when I'm gone, they should know."

"Of course," she answered, "I'll miss picking on you. Not as much as Adam, but I will. Make your sister proud."

"I will," I responded.

She released me and I looked at my whole family. We've been together for my whole life, I don't know what it's going to be like out there, but I'm ready to face it. I will meet my family again, there is no doubt about it. I looked at all of them and made a small speech, "I know my journey will not be easy, but using all of the things I learned from you, I will be able to make it," I picked up my backpack and said, "Goodbye. I'll miss you all dearly." After that, I started leaving.

I could hear everyone yelling their goodbyes to me, and I could hear some crying; I'm lucky to have such a loving family. I looked back for the first time, I was on top of a hill where I could see the whole house and my family, I waved a last goodbye and started to walk away. With my sword on my back covered by my backpack, my journey has begun.

A few hours have past, and nothing interesting has happened, I passed by two human cities and one pack territory, but that's it. It should take me up to ten days to get to Yellowstone. Now that I think about it, how do I know if I'm heading the right way? Grandpa said he has some things in this backpack that would help; I'll check that when I set up camp, I know that Yellowstone is south, so I'm heading in the general direction.

A lot more hours passed by, the sun was beginning to set, I set up camp a while ago and went off to hunt. I haven't eaten since this morning; I could also feel the soreness in my legs coming. I got a caribou and settled in for the night.

I didn't have a tent like when we went camping, but I can do without one. I decided to sleep in an open field; the grass was soft and I could see the stars. It gave me time to think. How am I going to find everybody? More importantly, how will I convince them to come with me? They could have similar lives like me and don't want to leave, how will I convince them then?

I decided not to worry about that until it happens. Right now I need to know where they are first. I remember the closest one is Yellowstone, so that's first. Maybe grandpa put something in my backpack that could help.

I went to my backpack and unzipped it; let's see what we got here. The first item I saw was one of Ian's phones with a note tied to it. It said: _Hey Luke, I wanted to give you this phone in case you find someone who knows how to work it. Thank you._ Interesting.

I dug a bit more into the backpack, I found a map. That too had a note on it, it read: _Dear Luke, this is a map of North America, It shows all national parks on it, this should help you a lot. Remember, the national parks you have to go to is, Yellowstone, the Porcupine Mountains, and __La Mauricie. I ordered these in order of which is closest to each other. Good luck, grandpa. _That helps a lot.

After looking at all of the useful things in the backpack, I went to sleep.

A few days have passed with nothing interesting to share. I just recently crossed a sign that said "Welcome to Banff National Park". Interesting, this is where grandpa used to live and where dad was born. I walked a few more miles before my legs couldn't carry me. It's time for a break.

I dragged myself against a tree and pulled off my backpack and took off my sword. I took it out of its sheath to look at it. It still had some blood on it from the last caribou; speaking of which, I'm hungry. Good thing I decided to pack some of the leftover caribou last night.

Once I was done with the caribou, belly full, I fell asleep.

I woke up to the sound of rustling in the bushes behind me. I opened my eyes to see it was night, who could be here at this time. It took a while for me to realize I wasn't at home or camping, I was in Banff.

My eyes widened immediately; I slept in the open where people could find me!

"What the hell is that, John?" I heard. I turned around only to see two men carrying guns, hunting rifles.

"I have no idea Phill," the other one responded, "but one thing I do know is we will make a helluva lot of money if we turn in his body to science." My heart stopped.

"We have to kill him first," the first one pointed out.

I felt a growl grow in my throat, and I let it go out. There is no way of escape now, it's time to fight. I pulled out my sword from its sheath, clean of the caribou blood.

"Oh shit, he has a sword!" the second guy exclained.

I started running up to them before they even got their guns up and I threw all of my weight on both of them. All three of us fell to the ground, one of them dropped their gun. I got up before any of them got up. I made a run for it; it's not worth killing two people right now.

I was running through the forest when I heard a gun fire. Shortly after, a tree next to me blew up into a bunch of little pieces. One piece hit me on the side of my muzzle, it really hurt.

I kept running until I heard a humming noise coming from behind me. They were chasing me in a car! One of them had their head out the window, gun pointed right at me. I heard a gunshot, then it was bright.

I opened my eyes, "Am I in heaven?" I asked nobody. I looked around to see that I was leaning against the tree still, my backpack and sword still beside me. _What? Was I dreaming? _I asked myself.

I looked at the sky, the sun was beginning to set. I slept through most of the day. My heart rate finally slowed down, returning to the normal rate. I leaned back against the tree, relieved it was all a dream. Normally I would consult mom if I had one of these kind of dreams, but I was alone. This was the first time I felt alone on this journey, I don't like it.

That feeling didn't last long though. A gust of wind came in from the west, and I smelled human; it was close too! Soon after that, I heard some talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but that didn't matter. I checked the scent again, there was the smell of dog, metal, and human.

My heart rate picked back up, good thing I woke up when I did, that could have been bad. I pulled my sword over my shoulder and put my backpack over that and left.

I jogged about a mile east when the voices died down a bit; I have no idea if that's a good thing or not though.

I slowed my pace down, that was until I heard a twig break and a swear soon following after; they were following me for sure. I broke out into a run. I heard a whistle pass by me. Was that a bullet?

I could hear them running. I could also hear them talking.

"Shane," one said, "I thought you said you were a good shot?" He sounded young; maybe my age.

"With my tomahawks, yes. Guns, no. Call of Duty makes it look easy," the other one said. Wait, I smelled dog, why do I hear two voices? I'll think about it when I escape.

Their voices were getting quieter, good. I didn't slow down though; I didn't want to take my chances. I wa running through a thin path in the woods; it doesn't look like it was human made, so I trusted it. That is until I felt something like a string hit my foot. I almost tripped from it; must be a branch or a root. I was wrong, because out of nowhere, a net came from above a tree branch. I was stuck. I panicked for a moment before I started clawing at the ropes. It's a good thing the claws are made of titanium, it goes through the ropes like nothing. I finally freed myself. I must've been ahead pretty far if the haven't reached me yet.

I kept running till I thought I was safe; I was panting heavily. _I don't think I could run any farther, _I thought. I stood by a tree, both hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, I needed to be quiet if I didn't want to be caught.

I started walking once I was breathing mostly normal. I heard a whistling noise again and something hit me in the arm. At first I thought it was a bee sting, but I started feeling dizzy and tired. _What is happening? _My legs were getting weak; it didn't take too long for me to collapse onto the ground.

I heard footsteps coming closer, "I got him!" someone exclaimed.

Before I could see who it was, I passed out.

**Oh no, it looks like Luke is in danger. Don't you love cliffhangers? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review your thoughts and have a wonderful day. See you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Captured by Humans

**Here's chapter 8 guys. I left you guys on a cliff hanger long enough. One warning: from now on, there will be a lot of product placements. I'm not sponsored and I do not own any of them. I own my characters and plot. Enjoy the chapter.**

What is happening? Last thing I remember is...oh yeah, I was captured by humans. I'm kind of surprised I'm not dead yet. I felt something in my arm, I slowly opened my eyes to see a human in a white lab coat putting some liquid in my arm through a needle of somesort. I would've done something, but I was really tired and I couldn't think straight. Also, my arms and legs were tied up to the white bed.

"He seems pretty healthy for his weight," I heard a female say.

"Yes," said a male, "anthropomorphic wolves do seem to have a healthier status than humans," he stated.

"Where did Jordan and Shane find him?" the female asked.

"They said they heard a report of a 'bigfoot' sighting up in Banff National Park in Alberta. Leo took them there for me."

"Well that was thoughtful of him," the female said. After that, I fell back asleep.

I can't believe that I got captured by humans! I didn't even get halfway to Yellowstone to find the first anthro. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not dead yet. From what I was taught, the humans would kill us and possibly use our bodies for science. Obviously I'm alive and they're testing me for science.

Some time passed by before I woke up again, my head hurt a little. My eyes felt heavy still, but I opened them anyway; what I saw surprised me: I was in a dark green painted room instead of the white walls, and I was in a normal bed with skyblue sheets.

I rubbed my head in confusion. Then I realized, my arms and legs weren't tied up. _If I'm captured by humans, why would I not be tied up?_ The bed creaked a little as I got up. "Where am I?" I muttered to myself. I saw my backpack leaning against the bed. My sword was nowhere to be seen. I opened up the backpack; too bad they didn't know I had more weapons in there. I pulled out the claws and put them on. The only reason you can tell that they are on is both of them are grey, and my right hand was white, I'll fix that later. But right now I have to figure out where I am and escape.

I sat on the bed to see if I could hear or smell anything that is important. I heard what sounds like a teen yelling and some banging; what's going on out there? After that I could smell someone cooking, it was at that point I realized I was hungry, and it smelled pretty good. _Escaping is more important, _I scolded myself. I'll so see what is with all the yelling. I opened the door as silent as I could, which was easy, it didn't make a single sound. I stepped into the hallway. The floor was wood, so It creaked slightly. Hopefully it's quiet enough that human ears can't hear it.

The yelling grew louder as I got closer and so did the banging noise. I could finally understand what he was saying, "What!" it sounded like a teen, about my age; he didn't sound too happy, "I was on a ten kill streak! How did Skill_Press3r kill me, he was using an SMR!"

What is this kid talking about? A ten kill streak? I don't understand; I'll just keep heading to that room. Maybe I will get some answers. This has been one confusing day.

I could hear other voices, but they sounded farther and quieter, "MrBeastly, how can a prestige ten like yourself be taken down by such a noob weapon?"

"Shut up FelineCottons, you aren't even at prestige one!" he yelled. I snuck up to the closed door and rested my ear against it. The banging noise was still going on. It had no pattern, sometimes it was long, and other times it was a short burst. I decided it was time to open the door, what I saw shocked me.

As I opened the door, I saw a TV on showing a bunch of people running together with something in their hands. It kind of looked like guns, but I've never seen these kind before. Maybe that's what the banging was, but a gun that could fire more than one bullet at a time? I've never heard of that before. Is that even possible?

I'm getting off topic here, that's not what surprised me, it was who was sitting in front of the TV: an anthro! All I could see was the back of his head. He was brown, that I know. Why is he here? Is there more anthros here? Aren't I in a human place, or did this guy rescue me? I need to know.

I walked up quietly, all of the flashing lights on the screen were pretty neat. He was using a gun, I know that for a fact now. He would line up his sights on another human and shoot him, blood coming out of him. He kept doing that for a few minutes in complete silence. I could tell he was really focused.

Soon, he killed another human and after that a word came up that said, "K-9 Unit".

"Yes," he yelled. It sounded like he was going to say something, but he raised his hands in victory and his left hand hit my chest. He froze for a moment with his hand on my chest; he soon looked back at me, he then stood up and backed away. He pressed a button on the oddly-shaped block in his other hand. I think that's what controlled the human he was playing as. "Uh…" he said, sounding uncertain, "AFK, guys."

I heard someone on the other end say, "Kay," and nothing else.

He pulled down the things on his ears and flipped something on it. It was silent for a long time, it gave me a good time to look him over. He was brown with brown eyes to match. He was lean but had some muscles on his arms. He had the slightest scent of dog that might throw off a human, but he also smelled of wolf. It was more potent.

He finally broke the silence. "It's about time you woke up," he said in a humorous tone, "only took you two days."

Two days? I was out that long? Wow. "Who are you?" I questioned, wanting to get to the point. I had a lot of questions I wanted answered.

He reached out his hand. Grandpa said the universal greeting for humans was a handshake. He said it's been there for a long time, he also said that the anthros adapted to using it right before he was banished. I took off the claws on my right hand, exposing my white hand, and shook his hand.

"I'm Shane Fitzgerald-Long," he introduced. Fitzgerald sounded awfully familiar. "I'm the best CoD player in the United States. I dabble in other games too, but Black Ops 2 is my best game." He seemed a little cocky.

"Ha you wish you were the best in the States," a voice said behind me. I turned around to see a human teen staring right at me. He didn't look dangerous; he was lean with very little muscle. I turned to him while putting the claws back on. I reached for my sword, only to forget I don't have it. "You never even got to nationals," he said as if I was not a threat.

"Jordan," my ears flicked, hearing Shane speak up again, "it's not polite scaring our guest," he said sarcastically. I still had my gaze fixed on the human, claws flexing.

"Right, the name's Jordan." He reached out his hand. I stood there, not moving. I could feel Shane staring at me.

"Hey Jordan, he has the same stance as Wolf does in Brawl." What is he talking about?

"Oh yeah," he commented, not even scared, "you're right." He pulled his hand away and closed the door behind him. "Not much for handshakes, I guess," he muttered; then raised his voice, "This is probably a lot to take in, you can ask anything," he looked at Shane, "I thought you said his backpack had no weapons?"

"Uh, yeah, about that…"

"Did you even look?"

"Nope."

"You're so lazy, Shane."

"I try," he said grinning. Jordan walked over to a chair and sat down; I watched his every move for any hint of danger. "You're so tense," he told me, "take a seat," he pulled out a chair from the closet.

I looked at Jordan for a few seconds, then just nodded, moving towards the chair. If he was a danger, he wasn't one I couldn't handle. He said I could ask any question, so I started at the basics, "Where am I?"

"You're in Warm River, Wyoming, right next to Yellowstone National Park," he explained. My eyes widened, Yellowstone? That's where I was supposed to go to find...Dakota Fitzgerald. Now I see why Shane's last name sounded familiar.

Now that's answered, next question, "Why am I here?" I asked.

"For science, of course," Jordan said. Hy heart stopped and the fur on my neck rose as he said that. I think Shane sensed that.

"Don't listen to him," Shane soothed, "he means no harm. He just wasn't thinking," then he muttered, "as if he ever does." My fur flattened a little as he said that. At least someone is being considerate. "I know what you're thinking: scientists are bad and dangerous. But don't worry, Jordan's dad is cool. He's against all of that inhumane shit. Other scientists think of us as animals, but his," he pointed at Jordan, "dad takes care of me and only does research people would do to humans. You're safe here."

I relaxed a little. This is all still weird to me, but it is better than I expected considering I'm sitting near a human. Next, I need to find Dakota. I'd assume that it is Shane's grandpa, so I asked that. "Where is your grandpa?" I asked him.

His ears flattened a little. This can't be good, "He died when I was a pup. Jordan's dad told me that he found my home in ruins by hunters in Yellowstone. He found me all by myself in the snow. That's when he started researching anthros. Before he met me, he was a wolf biologist and he wanted to compare me with them."

"Oh," I said. I was going to say more, but we heard a call from a feminine voice down the hall.

"Shane! Jordan! Dinner's ready!"

"Food," Shane said, "it's about time! Follow me," he told me.

I followed him down the hall, then took a right which led to the kitchen. As I walked in, I tensed up again. Don't blame me, I was brought up this way. I could smell the smell from earlier, it smelled heavenly, but I've never seen any of it before.

"Hello Jordan," an older man greeted, I'm guessing that this is Jordan's dad, "hello Shane." He then looked at me, his smile grew, "I see that our guest is finally awake." This man was tall; he was sitting, but you could tell he was tall. He also had broad shoulders, he was sort of intimidating.

I didn't say anything, I was still being cautious and a little shy.

"He's doesn't seem to be much of a talker, dad," Jordan said.

"Oh?" he replied.

Shane interrupted, "Well, he didn't have much of a problem talking to me before Jordan came in," he explained.

"So he's people shy," the older man stated, "No worries, if he's shy, we won't push him." He seems nice, considering he's a human, "Come, sit down, and enjoy dinner with us, Jennifer made hot dogs." What's a hot dog?

Shane guided me to a seat next to him and Jordan. I hesitantly sat down, I was face to face with the scientist. I looked away instantly, that dominance challenge wasn't even a challenge. I noticed Shane reaching for a few long pieces of meat that is on some bread. I looked at him with a confused expression, he mouthed, _hot dog,_ and pointed to it.

So this is a hot dog. I hope it's not made out of dogs; if it was, Shane wouldn't be eating it. I took a bite out of it with my canines, it didn't cut the bread well, so I tried my molars. That tore through the bread good enough. The hot dog meat was weak enough that I tore through that too.

The bread was okay, it was rare for me to eat bread back at home. The only time we ever had bread is if humans left it behind. We primarily ate caribou, rabbit, and berries. The hot dog...it wasn't caribou, and I could taste that it was not 100% natural, but it was good overall. I was hungry, so of course I was going to eat it.

Dinner was pretty silent, and what did pop up, I wasn't in the conversation. By the time I was at my fifth hot dog (don't judge), Shane was at his fourth, but he was done after that.

"Wolves," I heard Jordan's dad mutter, "they eat all of our food." I stopped at five. I'm not sure whether he was joking or not, but better safe than sorry.

"I'm done, thanks for dinner, mom," Shane said to his "mom", got up and left. I followed him. I'd rather be with someone of my species. We got into his room. The the TV said "kicked for AFK". "Well, that was bound to happen," Shane grunted, he turned to me and said, "I'm surprised you only ate five hot dogs, I know that that's not all fur, I had to drag you here."

I blushed a little, then I realized, "Drag me here, were you the one who knocked me out?"

"Well me and Jordan did. For a fat wolf, you sure can run," he complimented, I think.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Your welcome," he said, "You know, I don't even know your name."

"Oh right, my name is Luke Wolfe…"

"That's a silly last name, kinda ironic," he commented.

"I know," I agreed, then continued, "I'm from Jasper Park, Canada," I feel like it's fine to tell him where I live, he's a fellow anthro.

"Why were you in Banff, then?" he asked.

I thought of the most basic answer. I will tell him more once I learn more about my surroundings and these humans. Grandpa said I was trying to make peace with humans, so I better find reasons to. "I'm on a quest."

"Quest?" now I grabbed his attention.

"I'll tell you more about it later," I told him. His ears flattened a little. I felt kind of bad for him, but it's for the best. "So…" I started, "what do you do around here?" I asked.

"Well, for one, I play video games," he said as he pointed at the TV. _So that's what those are called._ "I also like to play with my tomahawks."

"Tomahawks?" I asked and cocked my head.

"Want me to show you," he asked enthusiastically.

"Sure," I replied.

He grabbed two small axes from under his bed; I'm assuming those are tomahawks. I followed him out the door into his backyard. His was similar to mine: open and it leads into the forest. As we got out, I heard a car door close. Shane must've heard it too because his tail started wagging as he ran towards the sound, "Uncle Leo!" Uncle Leo? Who's that. I followed in pursuit.

I turned the corner of the house to see Shane hugging an older man by a car. I'm going to assume that he's Uncle Leo.

"Hey, Shane, how's my favorite wolf?" he asked in a kind tone. I stood there, just watching them. It's not often where you see a human hugging an anthro. "Is that our little experiment over there?" he asked pointing at me. I backed away a little.

"Leo," Shane interrupted, "he's kinda people shy."

"I was just kidding," he raised his arms in defeat, he started walking towards me, "It's okay, I won't hurt you," he said reassuringly.

I looked the man over as he came towards me. He was tall with broad shoulders just like Jordan's dad, but he had a belly. It wasn't as big as mine, but it was noticeable. He had green eyes, something I've never seen on a human. Lastly, his hair was everywhere as if he never grooms it; he also had a rugged, short beard.

I came out of the corner and just looked at him. His green gaze was calming. When he reached me, he put a hand out for a handshake. I was hesitant, but I took of the claws and reached out. His skin was rugged; he must use his hands a lot.

"Nice to meet you, uh…" he said.

"Luke," Shane told him.

"He can say his own name, Shane," Leo retorted.

"I'm Luke Wolfe, sir," I stated confidently. This man has to the most trustworthy human I've met so far, I we only met a minute ago. I don't know what it was, but his nature seemed much more relaxing than all of the others.

"Kind of an ironic name, kid. I like it!" he exclaimed. he seems like he has a lot of energy. "So, what are you two up to?"

"I'm going to show Luke my tomahawk skills," Shane said pridefully.

"If you're going out in the woods, go to the back of my truck, there's something there for Luke," he told us, "I would go with you guys, but I have something I have to tell Dennis."

"Kay, thanks," Shane thanked, "See you later!"

"Yep," Leo replied as he walked into the house.

"Let's go see what's in the truck," Shane said.

While we were walking to the truck, I had to ask, "Who's Uncle Leo?"

"Uncle Leo is Jordan's dad's brother. He helps him around with a lot of experiments." We got to the truck. It smelled of dirt and wild animal, specifically wolf. "He's a park ranger for Yellowstone," Shane pointed out, "he patrols around to find any animal that is sick or injured and takes them to the animal hospital. Looks like he found a wolf today," he pointed out.

We looked around the truck for a bit. There was a lot of grey fur everywhere. I hope that wolf's okay. "Found it!" Shane call out from the trunk. He got out and I saw him holding a sword in its sheath. My sword.

"My sword," I said, taking it from Shane. I pulled it out its sheath to swing it a bit. It felt nice to have again. It makes me feel more secure. I put it back in the sheath and put it over my right shoulder.

"Why do you have a sword anyway?" Shane asked.

"I can explain later," I told him, "but first, I want to see your tomahawk skills."

**So Luke found the first descendant of the original ninja wolf team. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; it was a hard one to write with all of the new characters, but I think it turned out good. Leave a review please. I like hearing your thoughts. Anyway, see you guys next time!**


	9. Chapter 9: Telling a Legacy

**Here's chapter nine guys! Hope you enjoy! **

"Bullseye!" Shane exclaimed, after his tomahawk hit the middle of his target, which was a large board of wood against a tree.

We were in Yellowstone, he said that Jordan's dad has a plot in here, so it is legal. On our way here, Shane talked to me and explained what videogames are. I think it's rather interesting, being able to do anything on a screen. He told me about all of his consoles; he said that he is trying to get them all. He has some of the oldest consoles and the most recent; he has a pretty big collection.

"Impressive," I said, staring at the tomahawk caught in the wood. His accuracy is very impressive, that was his fifth bullseye out of six shots, "how long have you been using tomahawks?" I asked.

"Since I was seven years old, so eight years."

"Wow," I said. I decided to show him an example of what I could do. Before I left, I grabbed a bunch of shurikens; _I haven't used these in a while_, I thought to myself. When he went to grab his tomahawk, I threw one. The shuriken we right passed him and hit right next to the tomahawk. I'm rather surprised that the shuriken stayed in the wood. Normally, they would just bounce off its target.

Shane turned around, shock apparent in his face. His tail started wagging, "Where did that come from?" he asked. I pulled another one out of my sleeve of my grey sweatshirt. "Okay," he said, "now you _have _to explain yourself. You said you were on a quest, and you have two ninja weapons and metal claws on gloves. Obviously this quest has some action!" He sounded excited.

I sighed, I was planning to tell him it, but I was going to slowly tell him it, but I can't just let him hanging now. "Have you met another anthro besides me?" I asked him.

He thought for a little bit, "Nope," he stated, looking back at me.

"That's because most of them live in Russia, more specifically: Siberia." He nodded, seeming interested on the topic. "Let's sit down, this could take some time." We sat down and I continued, "Back in the fifties, the anthros lived in the Northwest Territories in Canada, hiding from humans. But the Alpha of the civilization decided that they needed more land for the increasing population."

"Our grandpas met when they were young, and they joined the war together along with a few others. They were a group of assassins hired to take out human leaders of help with the war. We lost and our grandparents were banished."

"Why were they banished?" Shane asked, tilting his head.

"In one of their missions, a member was very injured. My grandpa, being the leader, refused their next mission, even though it could've ended the war. Grandpa said that his team was more important than the war."

"Oh," Shane said, looking at the grass, "Then why did you leave?" he asked, looking back up at me.

"My grandpa told me that he thinks that another war is coming soon, so he wanted to reform the team. He told me to find the grandkids of the old ninja and bring them back for training. Our goal is to make sure no war happens."

It was silent for a moment. He was probably taking all of the information in. "Why are we trying to stop the war," he finally said, "isn't it a good thing to have more territory?"

"Grandpa said there are peaceful ways to get territory. And he said that there is nowhere left to run if they lose," I explained.

"Oh," Shane said, "is that why you asked where my grandpa was?"

"Yep," I simply answered. Right after that, my stomach growled. I felt my face heat up, it was obvious that Shane heard it.

Shane laughed a bit, "I told you five hot dogs wasn't enough." He got up and said, "Let's head back and find you something to eat."

"Okay," I said, still embarrassed. I got up and followed him.

We walked back to the house. Shane asked me a lot of questions about his grandpa and what he did. I answered to the best of my ability. Some of his questions was not really possible to answer unless you knew the guy.

Once we got back to the house, I saw Jordan's dad and Leo talking. I don't think I was supposed to hear their conversation, but I have better hearing than humans. "...is in Siberia next year," Leo said.

"Why in Siberia? There's nothing there," Jordan's dad pointed out.

"Apparently there is a huge science laboratory there."

"Oh," Jordan's dad turned and saw us, "okay, what did your little wolf ears hear?"

Shane answered for us without hesitation. I guess it happens often, "Something is happening in Siberia and there is a big science building there," he explained.

He sighed; I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be a secret. "Well since you heard most of it, I might as well tell you two the rest," he told us, "there is a biology convention every year, and it is located at different places of the world. Scientist come from all around the globe to go to it. Next year, it is being held at Siberia."

"Oh," Shane said, then he turned to me and whispered, "Aren't we supposed to go to Siberia?" I just nodded; I was still kind of surprised that there was huge biology lab right next to a anthro civilization without the humans noticing.

I noticed that Jordan's dad was looking at me, "I don't believe we had a formal introduction," he started. He reached out his hand for a handshake. I was hesitant, this man still is huge and intimidating, but he sounds kind enough. I took off the claws and shook his hand. "My name's Dennis. What's yours?" he asked.

"M-my name's Luke Wolf," my voice stuttered a little. I bet I sounded stupid, but he seemed like a respectable man, so it wouldn't bother him.

"Those are some interesting gloves you got there," he stated, pointing at the claws, "what are they?"

I put it back on and said, "They are called 'the claws'," I told him, "my grandpa gave them to me."

"Grandpa?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Shane said, "up in-OW!" he exclaimed. I elbowed him in the ribs; he was about to tell a human the location of my family. Not a snowball's chance in hell I'm letting any scientist know that information.

"I understand," Dennis said, "I know family's important to you wolves, so I won't ask of their location." Good. "Hey Shane," he continued. Shane looked at him, "can I speak to Luke in private?" he asked.

Shane's tail lowered slightly, like he was trying to hide his disappointment. This was his first time meeting an anthro like him, so it's understandable, but he smiled and said, "Sure, but you might want to get him some food. Fatty's hungry." It's a good thing humans can't see my blush.

Dennis made me something called a grilled cheese and ham; when he gave it to me, it was hot. There was melted cheese in between two pieces of toast and ham. It didn't look too appetizing, but it smelled good. I took a bite and all I can say is that I can get used to human food.

Dennis told me to follow him, so I complied. We went past Shane's room, he was playing video games again, but this time he was playing a guy in a white suit jumping from building to building. It looked fun.

I followed him to the end of the hallway where there was a closed door. He put something on his hands from a dispenser that read "hand sanitizer" whatever that was. Once he was done rubbing his hands, he opened the door and turned on the lights. The only thing I could see down at the bottom was white tiles. They looked familiar.

I followed him down the stairs when I noticed the entire room was white. There was a bed near the far wall with a bag of blood. I could smell it; I think it's my blood. Dennis sat down on a swivel chair, "Take any seat," he told me.

I looked around the room, this was the science room I woke up the first time in, strapped to the bed. My ears flattened as I looked around the room. I found a chair that was far away from the bed; I wanted nowhere near that bed.

"So Luke," he said, clipboard in hand, "tell me about yourself."

What is this, counselling? Why did he want to know about me? Let me guess, this is something science related. I answered anyway, "Um, well, as you know, my name is Luke Deklan Wolfe," what am I supposed to say? "I live with my family of seven including me. What else do you need to know?" I have no idea what I'm doing.

"What do you do for a pastime?"

"I cook with mom, or practice my ninja skills."

"Ninja skills?" I feel like I shouldn't have said that, "Tell me more about that."

Should I trust him? I mean he hasn't harmed me yet. I'll just tell him without a location and hope I don't slip up. "As I told you, I live in a family of seven, and you know Shane, obviously there are more of us around. Have you heard of the Great Anthro War?" Grandpa told me that the war was kept secret from any non-military and government people. I don't know what a scientist is, especially if he researches anthros.

He sat there for a moment, "You mean the war in Canada and Alaska between humans and anthros?"

I guess he does count. "Yes, my grandpa was part of that, in fact, he was the lead assassin."

His eyes widened, "You're the grandson of the Assassin Wolf?" His heart rate increased. Maybe I should've said that when I first met him, he would've less scary to me.

"He prefers Ninja Wolf," I told him, joking a little, "don't worry, he's retired now, and he only taught me the basics for now." I think it calmed him a little. "Anyway," I continued, "I don't have to explain the war to you. After the war, the anthros retreated to a new place," I'm not going to tell him, "but my grandpa and his team were banished for not completing their last mission. They all spread out around to hide from the anthros and the humans, they were outcasts; this gave my grandpa time to think: the best way for peace is to first try to negotiate, and if that doesn't work, war. The anthros never tried to negotiate."

"He seems like a wise man...or anthro," Dennis pointed out.

"He is," I agreed, "he didn't deserve all the crap that came to him. It was unfair, but I'm here to make it all up. He wants me to go to the anthro civilization with a team and prevent any war from happening, and if one happens, stop it and make peace."

It was silent for a moment, then I continued, "I already told Shane after he showed me his tomahawks. He has the skill I'm looking for, he gets it from his grandpa," I stated.

"He's also a descendant of a Ninja Wolf?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes, and he said it would be cool to come with me."

He sighed, "Shane's been cooped up here for his whole life, he needs something else in his life. He can go with you," awesome, got my first member, "but, I need you for some experiments." My turn to be scared. I think he could tell, "Don't worry, they are harmless, but I need to know one thing." I looked at him, head tilted a little, "How controled are you, as in sanity?" I don't like this question.

"I need to know the situation," I answered. I want to know what to prepare for.

"I want to see human-anthro interaction, but I want them around your age group. How old are you?" he asked.

"Fifteen," I answered.

"Jordan is fourteen, so we are in the range," he stated, "I would like you to go with Jordan to school tomorrow. I contacted the principal and he agreed, with a few conditions…"

"Like what," I asked, sounding displeased.

"You need to wear a shock collar and a leash, but you only have to wear the leash in first hour and in the halls, other than that, just the shock collar," he explained.

"Fun," I stated sarcastically.

"Please, this would be great for my research."

"Why didn't you send Shane to do it?"

"'People don't act well around me,' is what he told me. You're more...fluffy than him; it might help the students and teacher."

I sighed; this is not what I had in mind when I was told I would go on an adventure, "Fine."

"You only have to do it for one day, and if you like it, he has agreed you can do it for a week. I'm sure the students will love you."

**Luke's going to school! This should be interesting. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the next one is coming out soon. A review would be greatly appreciated. See you next time!**


	10. Chapter 10: New Student

**Hi guys! I decided to post this chapter sooner than expected. So a guest posted a question for me:**

"**The story good but I do have to ask where's the you know alpha and omega charters from the movie. So how is this story best on alpha and omega when this no Humphrey or Kate and the others. Are they coming later on the story or this story all your characters only. The makes me think on wolf's rain or some other storyline stuff with wolf or hybrid charters. So what is the story best on by the looks of it. It does not look alpha and omega to me just another story best on will I don't right know, it is still a good story to read."**

**I appreciate the question. I do not plan on adding any A&amp;O characters in this story; I apologize for that. I am planning to do an A&amp;O fanfiction soon. When I first was on fanfiction, I found the Starnik Series. It had no A&amp;O characters, so I thought this was okay. Also this story was inspired by A&amp;O partially.**

**I've talked enough for one author's notes. Enjoy the story!**

"Bye Jordan," Jordan's mom said, "Have a good day at school." She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Mom…" he complained.

"You'll have to deal with that until you move out," Dennis said, joking.

This morning was busy. They woke me up at six in the morning and Shane kept me up late showing me Assassin's Creed. I doubt I could do any of those moves. They introduced me to new food: bacon and eggs. It was amazing. After that, they had Shane search me for any weapons; they told me that weapons were not needed and it was illegal to bring weapons to school, I agreed after five minutes of arguing. I still had my natural claws and my teeth, so I wasn't completely defenceless. Plus I had my ninja skills.

Dennis turned to me, "You better behave, I-"

"Relax," I interrupted, "unless anyone else attacks me, I won't do any harm. There will be no bloodshed," I reassured him, "What can happen: I'll be surrounded by kids for only seven hours, and I'm pretty sure most of them will be too scared to do anything."

"Don't go off and try to scare anybody," Dennis warned.

"Why would I do that? I'd rather have a good impression with humans."

"Okay, good luck you two," and after that, we left to Leo's van. I saw him sitting in the driver's seat; he had a big smile on his face.

"So," he started, "the big bad wolf's grandson is going to school. Who would've thought?"

"Did dennis tell you?" I asked. Obviously he knew about my grandpa and the war.

"Yep. I think it's an honor to meet someone with such a lineage, even if he was the bad guy."

"He was doing it for his people," I defended, "his mate died because of you guys."

His smile faded, "I didn't know that. I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know him personally, but he seemed like a respectable wolf to meet."

"He is," I replied, looking out the tinted windows. This was my first time being in a car and in a city, so this was were a lot of people walking on the sidewalk and the roads were busy. I saw a big yellow vehicle that said 'school' on the side; I'm going to guess that it is a school bus.

We pulled to a stop at a parking lot. I looked to the front of the car, the clock read 7:05; Shane told me that school started at 7:30.

We got out of the van, "Have fun, guys!" Leo said, "I'm off to work." After that he drove off.

I looked at Jordan. We weren't too familiar with each other yet, so it was kind of awkward. "Here goes nothing," Jordan said; I just nodded, "I'm going to introduce you to our principal before school starts, but first…" He pulled out the shock collar.

"This is so humiliating," I said. I took it from him and put it around my neck, it was a perfect fit: a little bigger than my neck so there was room to breathe. After that, I grabbed the hook to the leash and put it on; one thing I knew was that I could break out at any time, I was stronger than Jordan. Maybe that's why I need the shock collar. Once that was done, we started walking towards the school.

I saw my reflection in a car, I'm so glad Adam is not here. I wouldn't have agreed to do this if anyone in my family was here, but it was just Jordan: someone who I barely knew.

There was a few teens leaning against the wall near the door, "Seniors," Jordan muttered to me. What's a senior? "Hey guys," Jordan greeted nervously. I could feel his heart rate increase slightly.

One of the teens stayed against the wall, but the other one came towards us. He was tall and muscular, and he wore a jersey with the number 17 on it. "Well well well, looks like the little freshman brought a pet." He looked at me in the eye. He was slightly taller than me and maybe a foot taller than Jordan. This is not the first reaction I expected to get when I came here.

My instincts told me that this was a dominance challenge. I've never had to worry about one of these before in my life, but I could tell what it was. I wanted to fight back, but I don't want a bad first impression at the school, so I looked away, but nothing else.

After a few moments of silence, I noticed the other kid walking towards us. Now we got trouble. "Uh Nick, this guy has some big claws, I think you should leave him alone," I could tell he was trying to make sure I couldn't hear, but I could.

Nick was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a different voice, "Nick! Leave Jordan and his friend alone." We all turned our heads to see a man in a blue uniform. The last time I saw a man in a uniform, it was back at Jasper, and it was a park ranger. I think this is a police officer.

"Let's go," Nick said, aggravated, his friend leaving with him.

The officer walked up to us, "'Mornin Jordan. Your dad called and said you were on your way." After the greeting, he turned and looked at me, "And you must be Luke Wolfe," he pulled out his hand, I shook it, "I'm Officer Johnson, I'm in charge of the discipline of this school."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, sounding polite. I let go of his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. I've never seen an anthro wolf, I've heard stories, but I didn't believe them. I guess I was wrong," he chuckled. I was silent for a moment before he continued, "Let's go inside and I will introduce you to the principal, then you two can go to class."

"Okay," Jordan agreed. We followed him inside. The main lobby of the school was decorated with a lot of pictures and green and grey banners. There was a group picture of the band; choir, which I saw Jordan in; football, I found Nick; bowling; and many other sports.

It was apparent that their mascot was the wolves considering the banners had a picture of a wolf on it and it said "Go Wolves!" on it, but what interested me the most was the statue of the wolf in the center of the lobby. It was howling and I think it was made of copper or some brown metal; I'm not the best distinguishing different metals.

"We like to take pride in our extra curricular activities," Officer Johnson explained, "Go wolves."

After having a good look around, Officer Johnson led us down the hall to the left. There were signs that said "Athletics Office", "Attendance Office", and, "Office" which was the biggest. We went through that door.

There was a big room on the other end, it had a large desk in the middle with a sign that said "Secretary". "Hello Ashley," Officer Johnson greeted. She looked up with a smile, until she saw me. Her smile dropped and her eyes opened wide; I could feel her heart rate increase a lot. "Is Principal Alan in yet?" She was shaking a little, that was obvious.I had no idea how to make this situation any better than to just leave. Luckily, Jordan and I followed Officer Johnson into a different room.

This room was a lot smaller, there was a bald man sitting at a smaller desk; it read "Principal Alan". If I'm correct, the principal is the one in charge of the school.

"Hello Jordan, this must be your friend Luke, I'd assume?" he greeted. Gesturing us to take a seat.

We took a seat, I decided I want Jordan to do the talking. "Yes this is, we found him yesterday in Banff, so we took him home to do some experimenting," not exactly, but close enough.

The principal got up, "Could you please stand?" he said to me, "I want to have a good look at you." I shrugged and got up. Jordan had to get up too because of the short leash. "You may take off the leash, Jordan," he told him.

"Okay," Jordan said. He unhooked the leash, I could hear Officer Johnson move a little, I glanced back to see he had a hand on his gun holster. I hate guns, but I see where he's getting at.

Jordan sat back down, giving room for Principal Alan some moving space. I felt his leg hit my tail, but I didn't move.

"He's bigger than I thought," he commented.

"Yeah," Jordan said, "anthropomorphic wolves are pretty big in general." I was shorter than the principal, but that doesn't mean I could be considered short. "He's only fifteen," he pointed out.

"Can he talk?" What does he think I am, an animal?

'I'm part human," I said out of nowhere, "of course I can talk." The principal backed up when I talked; he was leaning against his desk.

His shock didn't last that long, pretty soon, he was laughing, "I'm sorry," he apologized, "it's just that being half wolf and all…"

"I understand," I said, "I would of talked sooner, but I decided to let Jordan do the talking," I explained.

"That makes sense," he said, it was silent for a little, "I'm sorry I'm making you wear a shock collar and a leash, but some of the other staff members said you couldn't come unless you did. It's kind of silly; it's obvious that Jordan couldn't hold you back even if he tried."

"It's alright, if people feel safer because I'm wearing this," I pointed to the collar, "then so be it."

His smile grew, "I like you Luke, you're more civilized than I thought," he smiled sheepishly, "I hope you decide to visit for the rest of the week."

"Thank you," I thanked, "but that depends on the reactions I get from the others. I wouldn't want them to be uncomfortable."

"And I appreciate that," he pulled out his hand for a shake, I shook back, "It was nice meeting you Luke; you two are free to go. Officer Johnson will escort you out to the hall."

We passed the secretary, she was still kind of scared, but I had the leash back on. If I didn't have that on, I wonder how scared she would've been?

We got back to the lobby, "So," Jordan started, "you want to meet my first hour teacher?"

"Sure," I answered, "but first, what is a senior and a freshman?"

Jordan pace palmed, "Of course you don't know high school terminology, you never went to school," he chuckled a little, "Okay, freshman are the youngest here, it is ninth grade." I nodded, I knew the grade system. "Sophomore is tenth grade, juniors are eleventh grade, and the seniors are twelfth grade. They think they are the best because they are graduating this year, but they can be the laziest. School only started two weeks ago, so we aren't that far in. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."

"Yeah," I agreed, "So what's your first hour?" I asked.

Jordan sighed, "English with Mrs. Masters," he said, "I've known her for two weeks, and I already can tell that her class will not be fun. She's very strict and mean."

I've never met someone who was strict. Grandpa laid down the rules, but he was never strict; this should be interesting. I looked at the clock up on the wall, it was 7:12. Eighteen minutes till school starts.

"We better get going before other students get here," Jordan told me. I followed him down the hall. It was thin, it felt like during passing time it would get crowded in here, and it didn't help that there was a fourway at the other end. We got to the fourway and went straight, "This is the english hall," Jordan explained. We walked down the hall to the last room to the left, room 39.

The door was slightly open, I looked at Jordan. Is it okay to go inside? He shrugged and opened the door, "Uh...Mr. Masters," Jordan said, trying to grab her attention.

"What do you want," she said in a bossy tone. Wow, I've seen her for one second and I already don't like her.

"Er...I would like you to meet my friend, Luke," I stepped in, "he'll be coming here for today and maybe the week," he explained.

She looked at me and her eyes immediately widened, her mouth was agape. It didn't take to long for her to start screaming, backing up to the wall.

"Stop!" I raised my voice over the screaming, "I'm not going to hurt you," I promised.

I think she heard me, because her screaming ended. Her eyes were still focused on me. I bent my ears and lowered my tail to look a little smaller. I don't like scaring old, frail people, even if they are mean, and hurt my ears. Her breathing was ragged, she grabbed the water bottle from her desk, and started drinking it. Soon, her breathing settled.

"I know Johnson warned me about this, but it is different in person. Sorry about my reaction," she apologized. She doesn't seem as mean as Jordan put her.

"That's okay," I pulled my furry hand out, she flinched until she realized it was for a shake. She shook my hand, "My name's Luke Wolfe."

"It's a...pleasure meeting you," he hesitated. It was silent for a moment before she continued, "You can pull up a desk next to Jordan's," she told me.

"Thank you," I thanked. I followed Jordan, we were heading for the back of the room. The room definitely was not empty: there were posters all over on the walls, and the back had a sign that said student essays. There were only three right now.

Time passed in silence, all I could hear was Mrs. Masters typing, Jordan writing, and a few conversations out in the halls. No student has walked in yet.

After a while, I heard this loud, high-pitched sound go off. I covered my ears in pain.

"That's the school bell," Mrs. Masters pointed out, "There is one in five minutes and one five minutes after that. That is when class will start," she explained.

"Okay, thanks," I thanked. Now I have some form of warning.

Shortly after the bell rang, I could hear footsteps outside of the door. Soon, a kid short kid with black hair came in. He didn't notice me at first.

"Good morning Mrs. Masters. How have you been?" Jordan explained that he was the teacher's pet; then, he explained what that meant. Before she could answer, he noticed me. Immediately, he started shaking, "W-what is that?" he then asked her.

"His name is Luke," she said, "he's completely harmless," I wouldn't say that, "he will be here for the next week. You'll be sitting by him today." I don't think he liked the idea of that.

He didn't say a word to her, he looked at me, but didn't move. I decided to make this easy for him: I lowered my eyes and flattened my ears to look less threatening. I think it help a little because he slowly started walking towards me, backpack against his torso. He sat down next to me and was silent. He just opened his backpack and grabbed out a notebook.

Soon after that, two new kids walked in. A couple; they were holding hands, but as soon as they say me, the boy stepped in front of the girl slightly, trying to protect her from danger that wasn't going to happen.

I waved at them in hopes that it will calm them. It worked enough for them to slowly come towards me.

"Hey Jordan," the guy asked, "who's this?" he asked, pointing at me.

Jordan looked up from his work, "Oh hi Jimmy and Sam, this is Luke," he introduced as he pointed at me, "he won't hurt you."

"I know your dad is a scientist, but why did he create a furry?" Jimmy asked.

"My dad didn't create him," he defended me, "he's 100% natural. Anthro wolves exist, sorry to break it to you, but they just hide."

"Oh," Jimmy said. As they were talking, Sam was looking at me with interest.

"Can I help you," I joked. She flinched for a moment, so did the "teacher's pet" next to me. I smiled at her reaction and laughed a little.

"My what big teeth you have," she said.

"Teeth of a wolf," I told her.

"All forty-two?"

"Yep."

"Cool." She put a hand on my cheek, "You have some soft fur," she pointed out.

"Thank you," I thanked, "It's passed down from my family."

I felt another hand on my cheek; it was the only place with exposed fur besides my hands. I looked to my right to see it was the "teacher's pet".

"Sorry," he said nervously.

"For what," I said, I felt bad for the kid, I don't like being feared, "You didn't do anything wrong." I pulled out my hand, "My name is Luke Wolfe," I introduced formally.

He looked at my hand for a moment, then he shook it, "H-hi, I'm Devin."

"Hi Devin," I said soothingly, "you need to calm down. I promise I won't hurt you." I could see him calm a little bit in his shoulders. "There you go."

The rest of the kids came into the class, some reacted good, and some reacted bad. One of them almost picked a fight, but Mrs. Masters stopped it. The class was filled with unique kids. I liked it. I especially liked Sam, she took an interest to me the most.

Class ended after an hour. It was uneventful to me. It was about grammar, stuff I learned when I was ten, so I knew a lot about it. Some kids had no clue on what they were doing; I don't understand what's so hard about it, just listen to the teacher and it all makes sense.

I can see why people call Mrs. Masters mean, and I can see why she was mean. It was not the best behaving class.

The bell rung again and I had to cover up my ears. Jordan and I got up. Next hour I didn't need the leash, thank goodness. But I need some way to beat the bell.

**So there you have it! Luke has survived the first hour. How will he beat the dreaded bell? Oh and don't worry, you will be seeing more of Nick and Sam. Next chapter will be about the rest of the day. It might take a while to write, just FYI. See you next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: Surviving School Part 1

**I'M BACK! Sorry for the over 2 month wait. School has been killing me. Junior year is much harder than sophomore year. Hopefully I can post a little faster, but I can't promise anything. So here's chapter 11 guys! This wasn't supposed to be two parts, but it was going to run too long. So here's part 1.**

"So, what's your next hour," I asked after the dreaded bell rang, dismissing everybody to go to the next class.

"History," Jordan answered, "Spear is an awesome teacher. He's also our football coach, you'll like him." I don't think Jordan knows wolf instincts. Seeing someone who could pose a threat, a dominance challenge happens, just like what happened with Nick.

We left the room. I said goodbye to Mrs. Masters, who was standing at the door. She returned the favor, then went back to greeting other students.

The hallway was loud. With hundreds of kids talking at once, it can be pretty loud. It's a good thing these kind of noises don't bother my ears, but it was loud enough that I could barely hear Jordan.

"I got to go to my locker first to grab my textbook," Jordan explained.

"Okay," I replied.

I followed Jordan down the hall. I noticed there was a big gap between me and the other students; I guess they were scared.

"Wow," Jordan said, "with you around, it's easy to move around in the halls. You're like a people plow," he joked.

I chuckled a little. He's right, nobody dared to come near me. It saddened me a little, but I understand, I was like that when I first met Jordan and his family: I was scared of them, now I'm the scary one.

"Jordan wait!" I heard someone calling. I almost didn't hear her voice in the crowd. Jordan looked behind me, I guess he heard it too, with all of his years in school, he must be used to crowds. I turned back to see it was Sam calling, pushing through a bunch of people. She finally got through the crowd and into our "bubble".  
"Don't forget we have next class together, silly," she pointed out to Jordan.

"Oh yeah. I got to go grab my textbook from my locker," Jordan replied.

"Okay, I'll come with you guys," she looked up to me, "hi Luke, again" she giggled.

"Hi," I greeted, "so you have history class with Jordan?"

"Yep," she answered, "Mr. Spear is the best!"

"So I've heard," I said.

We got to Jordan's locker and he grabbed his textbook and put it in between his arms. After that, we went to the East Hall. Jordan said this mainly has social studies classes in it.

"You ready to meet another teacher, Luke?" Jordan asked.

"Er...I guess so," I said unsure. I'd prefer not giving another person a near heart attack.

"Oh come on," Sam encouraged, "you're just a giant fluff ball. You'll do fine."

I looked down at her, "I'm more than just a fluff ball, trust me."

"I'm just messing with you," she pushed my arm; I didn't budge, "Wow, you're pretty strong," she pointed out.

"Out of the seven other anthros I've met," I started, "I'm the third weakest; that is until the weight factor comes in, I'm the heaviest anthro I know."

"Come on," Jordan said, "let's not be late for class by standing next to the door."

"Good plan," Sam joked.

I looked in the door to see a tall, strong man with black hair and blue eyes sitting at a desk. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt and jeans. He was definitely the school football coach. I stood there and stared at him, he was intimidating, yet he also had a calming aura to him.

"Come on," Jordan said, pulling my wrist. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I could feel a growl growing in my throat; I fought it off before it was audible. "Good morning, Mr. Spear," Jordan greeted.

Mr. Spear turned and looked straight into my eyes with his deep blue eyes. His face was stern and serious. The growl started coming back, but it soon diminished. Mr. Spear smiled a warm smile, "Hello," he greeted; he sounded as young as he looked, "you must be this Luke I heard about from Alan," he put his hand out for a shake, "John Spears: U.S. history teacher and football coach." I shook his hand. He seemed like a nice guy.

"Jordan," Spear said, "you may take off his leash. He won't be a problem," he declared. Jordan took off the leash and handed it to the teacher, who tossed it onto his desk. "We don't really have any available seats…" he pointed out. I looked to the desks to see a lot of kids. Some had wide eyes and others were looking at their desk. I saw Sam waving at me, giving me a thumbs up. "You can sit at my desk," Mr. Spear told me. I was about to say something, but the bell went off. I covered my ears at the dreadful noise. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" he asked.

I nodded nervously. If I learned anything about myself today, it would be that I'm not good with speaking in front of crowds. I walked to the front of the room and looked at everybody. I put my hands in my pockets and started my introduction, "Uh, hi. I'm Luke Wolfe. I'm an anthropomorphic wolf." It was silent for a few moments. I didn't know what to say, "Any questions?" I asked. This way I will tell them what they want to know.

I few kids raised their hand, I pointed at one of them. "How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm fifteen," I answered, "My birthday is in May. Next."

The next person was a girl in the second row, "Have you ever killed and/or eaten a human before?"

I was taken aback at the question. Why would I eat a human? KIll? That might happen with the job I'm going into. "Of course not. I have morals. I eat caribou back at home, now I'm trying new things. I would never eat a human." I was honestly offended by the question. I took a deep breath, "Any other questions?" I asked calmly.

"Are you home schooled?" a kid in the back asked.

"Yes," I answered, "but from what I saw in english class, I learned a lot more than you guys have so far." A few kids looked surprised and others laughed that I said that. The truth hurts. "Anyone else?"

"We can take one more question," Mr. Spear said, "then we must get back to class."

A girl in the front of the room raised her hand, I pointed at her, letting her speak, "Are your senses strong like a wolf's."

"Yes," I answered, "I can hear, smell, and see like a wolf, but I'm not colorblind," I explained.

"Okay," Spear said, "you can take a seat now, Luke."

I walked back to the teacher's desk, the smell of coffee here was strong. _He must like coffee_, I thought to myself.

"Okay," he started off, "let's continue off where we were yesterday. Pull out your review sheets, get with a partner and start studying." I heard a few groans from the children; it was rather entertaining really. They started pairing up; Jordan paired up with Sam.

The sound in the room grew as more pairs were formed, I could hear names of different states being said. I looked behind me to see that Spear was there, "What are they studying?" I asked him.

"They are memorizing the fifty states," he explained, "you probably know them all."

"I was born in Canada," was all I said.

"Oh." We were silent. "I wanted to apologise about the question Kimmy said. It wasn't appropriate."

I sighed, "It's okay, if that is the way that will make people not fear me, then so be it," I explained.

"So I hear you came to this school as a science experiment," he started, "what's the experiment?"

"Human interactions with people near my age," I told him, "most of it is negative so far, but it's only the second hour," I said, trying to stay positive.

"I like your positivity," he complimented, "Hey, I was wondering, would you like to be our mascot for our football game on friday. When I heard an anthropomorphic wolf was coming to our school, I thought it was perfect if we had a real mascot. We are up against North Fermont High School and they are heavy hitters. They are undefeated right now, and we need motivation. What do you think?"

"I think I have no idea what you just said," I said, clueless on what he said. I don't know anything about sports, "I know what a mascot is," I explained, "but my knowledge on sports is small."

"Okay," he replied, "all I'm asking is if you can go to the football game and be our mascot. You don't have to do much, just walk around and motivate the students and players. Simple enough."

Sounds like fun, kind of, "I'll think about it," I said.

"Good," he said.

We talked for the rest of class. I learned he had a wife and three kids: two sons and a daughter. I also learned more about the football team and the school. Apparently, Nick is the football team leader. Of course he was, I should've expected that.

I noticed everybody started packing up; class was ending soon. "Alright," Mr. Spear said, "have a good day everyone. The test is tomorrow, don't forget."

Jordan pulled the straps over his shoulders and walked up to me and Spear. Spear handed Jordan the leash and he put it on. My ears flattened; I hate the leash. It pulls on my neck if I go too far and it's humiliating.

"I hope to see you again, Luke," Spear said. We were about to line up, but he stopped us, "Oh, one more thing Luke," I turned around to see him holding earplugs, "these might work somewhat on the bells."

"Thanks," I thanked him. I put them on. We waited for the bell. It seems like the last minute is the longest. Finally, the bell rang. I braced for ear pain, but there was little to be felt in the first place. The earplugs worked! I exited the door with my tail wagging.

Jordan, Sam and I were out in the hallway. With these earplugs on, I felt like I had human hearing, not the sensitive wolf hearing. _That's interesting_, I thought to myself.

"Bye, fluffy buddy," Sam said, hugging me.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"Art class. You have to go to math with Jordan," she said as she joined the crowd of kids. It's amazing how many kids there are in this school. At least the hallways are orderly. "I'll see you in fifth hour!" I heard her call.

"You ready to go?" Jordan asked me.

"Of course," I replied.

"Then let's go," he said. I followed him down the hall.

The halls was more crowded than when we were on our way to history class. I think people are warming up to me, or they at least know that I'm not a danger. Either way, I'm glad I'm not the complete center of attention anymore. We headed to the west wing, where the math classes were. We didn't talk the whole way there; it wasn't a long trip.

The door was cover with a bunch of colorful shapes; this must be geometry. Jordan walked in without hesitation, I decided to follow.

I entered the room to see a large desk with two stacks of papers on it. Sitting on the chair was a middle-aged man. He was overweight and had a brown beard that was trimmed short.

"Good morning Jordan," he greeted with a relaxed tone. His voice was slightly husky; his voice matched his appearance, "I see your friend came," he stated. He got up off his chair. He wasn't that tall, shorter than me. He put his hand out, "I'm Daniel Harding. It's a pleasure to meet you he said. I'm the geometry teacher," he told me.

"Hi," I greeted, "I'm Luke Wolfe. It's nice to meet you."

Another student walked in the room, "Good morning Devin," he greeted. I looked behind me, it was the same kid from english class. Mr. Harding turned to me and Jordan, "You can pick up your packets. They are right here," he said pointing to the two stacks of papers.

"Okay," Jordan said as he picked them up.

I followed him once he started heading towards his desk, "You can pick them up too, Luke," he said. I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked back to him, "All students and guests must pick up the packet. You are a student for the week, so I will put you to work," he said.

I sighed, walked up to the desk, and grabbed both packets, "Thank you," he thanked. I nodded back.

I sat back down next to Jordan. I looked at the packet; I had no idea what any of this was. Back at home, I learned basic math that I would use at home, but not this. As I was looking at the packet, I felt someone tapping my shoulder.

I turned around to see a girl looking at me. I could smell all of the makeup and perfume she was wearing; it was just bearable. "Hi," I said politely.

"What are you," she said in a rude manner, but I could sense some genuine curiosity under all of that makeup. She must be one of the cool kids in this school.

"I'm an anthro wolf," I explained, "half human and half wolf."

"So you're all furry everywhere?" she asked.

"Yep," I answered.

It looked like she was going to say something else, but the bell rang. I still had my earplugs on, so it sounded fine; it still was annoying, but at least my ears didn't explode. After the bell, Mr. Harding went straight into the lesson.

Turns out, after some explanation, this stuff was easy. Mr. Harding is a great teacher, he helped the class on an individual level. If anyone needed help, he would help. Jordan told me that this was the easiest lesson this year. It was so easy, that the entire class finished it with twenty minutes to spare.

"Alright class," Mr. Harding started, "since we have so much time left, why don't we have our guest introduce himself."

I looked around, everybody in the class was looking at me. I sunk into my chair a little. Still not good with crowds.

I knew I had to do this. I wasn't being forced, but I felt like like I had to do this. I got up and walked to the front of the room and turned to see all eyes on me still. "Hi," I said nervously, "my name is Luke Wolfe, and I'm an anthropomorphic wolf. I'm fifteen and I live with Jordan for now. I came here as an experiment to see human and anthro interactions," I explained. It was silent for a few moments, "any questions?" I asked. I'm just going with the same strategy I did last hour.

No one raised their hand at first, so I continued, "You can ask me anything," I stated, "Last class asked me if I have ever killed a human before, which the answer is no. So any question you want to ask me, just ask."

A few kids raised their hand after that. I pointed to one in the back, "If you're part wolf," he started, "do you shed like a dog?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered, "mainly before winter and after winter. I have a summer coat and a winter coat," I explained, "next."

I pointed to the girl who was sitting behind me when I was doing math, "Do you have fur everywhere?" she asked again. Why did she ask again? Maybe she wanted to have the whole class to hear.

"Yes, I do," I answered.

"Everywhere?" she asked, stretching out the word. The whole class started laughing. There was only a few of them who didn't laugh, like Jordan. I heard Mr. Harding sigh behind me. I honestly didn't get what was so funny.

"Yes," I replied, "Any more questions?" I asked.

One girl raised their hand. She looked like she had on a lot of makeup. I pointed at her, "So, do you use makeup or anything? How do you groom your fur?"

I had to think about that one. I don't do much to my fur or looks, "I don't do anything to my fur. This," I addressed my whole body, "is all natural. I do take baths and showers. My mom and sister both use a brush to groom their fur. But all males I've met, just don't do anything. Us anthros don't need much maintenance; the girls are just being fussy," I explained.

She thanked me, after that, a few more kids raised their hand, "How much do you weigh?" a kid in the back asked. Isn't that a little personal?

"Uh…" I hesitated. I decided that I will only see these people for a week, so it won't hurt to say, "Oh...I'm 190 pounds," I admitted. Hey, Jordan's dad said I'm healthy, and I exercise, so I'm not going to complain for now.

"So you are more than a fluffball," he said, pointing out the obvious.

"Yep," I agreed, "next."

The rest of the class was them asking me questions. Some wanted to pet me, so they got to pet my tail, which is one of the softest parts of my body. The bell rang and Mr. Harding dismissed the class. I still had the earplugs in, so it didn't affect me. Once everybody was out, I thanked Mr. Harding, then left with Jordan out into the sea of students.

"So," I said, breaking the silence between us, "what's your next class?" I asked him.

"Gym, or physical education," he explained, "Just warning you, there are more than freshman in the class."

"That's fine," I said. Having other class groups shouldn't be a problem. I am the age of a sophomore.

"Just warning you," he warned.

I followed him down the narrow hall. I could smell chemicals coming from a different hall. _Must be the chemistry hall,_ I thought to myself. We passed that hall and kept going. The next thing we passed was the cafeteria. I didn't know what to think about the smell of the food; it wasn't the best thing I've smelled. Jordan told me lunch was after gym. We passed the lobby with the wolf statue and all the pictures. After all of that, I saw the gym doors.

"Okay," Jordan started, "the gym teacher is Mrs. Macklin. She's tough, but she's fun once you get to know her. I met her in elementary school. Watch what you say around her, she doesn't like disrespect from the students."

"Got it," I replied.

Jordan opened the door and walked in. The smell of sweat and hard work hit me like a caribou; it was strong. Even a human nose could smell it.

"You'll get used to it," Jordan said. _Easy for you to say, human,_ I thought.

I walked in, trying to ignore the smell. I could hear a lot of kids talking, a few of them stopped to look at me. My tail drooped a little. I looked at the kids, and I saw what looked like seniors. I looked closer at them' my ears flattened when I saw him: Nick. He was holding a rubber ball in both hands.

I looked away and kept following Jordan. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Macklin," Jordan greeted.

Mrs. Macklin turned, her face was stern, but it soften a little when she saw Jordan. "Morning Jordan," she said in an alto voice. She looked strong, yet lean. She had her up in a ponytail, and she was taller than me. My ears flattened as she looked at me, her face was stern again. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"H-hi," I stuttered, "I'm Luke Wolfe," I pulled out my hand for a shake, she didn't shake back; I put my hand down, "I'm here with Jordan."

She started walking around me, observing me. "Fatter than I expected from a wolfman," she stated, "but I can tell there is some muscle under it. How fast can you run?" she asked.

"Pretty fast. I prefer short distances than long ones. I don't have too much endurance," I explained.

"I see," she stated, "reaction time?"

"Very well," I said. I didn't want to go into detail, and she didn't push it.

"Good," she said, smirking, "today is dodgeball." What's dodgeball? I asked her that, and she said, "There are two teams separated by a line that each team can't cross. There are balls lined up on it for each team to get. You have to hit the other team with the ball. If they get hit, they're out. If they catch the ball, the one who threw it is out, and the one who caught it can bring a member back in. Last team standing wins."

She grabbed her whistle that was hanging on her neck and blew it. My ears were throbbing and all I could hear for a few seconds was a high pitched sound. I'm surprised I didn't go deaf. "All right!" she yelled, "separate into two groups, fifteen on each side!"

All of the kids got against the wall on two sides. I followed Jordan to a side. I looked at our competition and I saw Nick. _Oh boy, _I thought, _this will be interesting. _One thing I noticed was that all of the big kids were on one side against us. It seems a little unfair, but then again, our team had a partially trained ninja on their side.

Mrs. Macklin set up all of the balls in the middle. There must be a strategy for this game. One thing for sure is going in the middle was suicide. If you're too slow, you will be out for sure.

Once all of the balls were set up, Mrs. Macklin blew the whistle. The game has begun.

**It's time for Luke's ninja skills to be tested on the "arena"! What will happen? Find out next chapter. Just letting you all know, the dodgeball rules is what I did in school. They could be different where you live or how they do it professionally, I don't know. I just don't want you to think I know nothing about dodgeball. Reviews are greatly appreciated. See you next time!**


	12. Chapter 12:Surviving School Part 2

**Two chapters in one day! Awesome. Enjoy!**

The game of dodgeball. A game of accuracy and dodging. I've never heard of the game before, but when it was explained, it seemed like an interesting game.

Mrs. Macklin blew the whistle to start the game. Most of the people ran towards the center for a ball. I decided to stay behind; we need some reserves for our team.

Both teams reached the middle at the same time, that's when all hell broke loose. I counted that five people on our team went out and one went out on the opposing side. I could tell that we had a disadvantage, but one thing we had more of is dodgeballs. Six dodgeballs were thrown at the other team. I noticed that Nick caught two of them and the other kids were blocking them with ball in their hands. Smart strategy.

Grandpa told me I had to work on teamwork, so I might as well start now. We were losing and we needed a team leader. "You," I called a girl holding a ball in each hand, "give him," I pointed at Jordan, "some cover fire while he grabs the three balls over there." She nodded at me and threw a ball at a kid who was about to throw, but before he got hit, he spun and caught it, making the girl out.

She tossed her other ball to me. As she did, I saw another ball coming straight for me. I swiped my arm and grabbed the ball that the girl tossed to me and threw it at the incoming ball. My original ball came back to me. I threw it at a guy who was about to throw one at Jordan and got him out.

"Here," Jordan said as he tossed a ball at me, "take them down. I'll get you more ammo."

I looked around at my team, we only had five members left while they had about ten left. I threw a ball at a tall kid who was looking the other way. I hit him on the head; he fell back a little before he left.

"Wolfman!" I heard someone yell. I turned to my left to see a ball headed straight for my face. I ducked back and landed on my hands. The ball went right over me.

"Thanks," I said. I looked to the kid who warned me, but a ball hit him on the back; he cursed under his breath as he walked away.

I felt something pass my tail. I turned around to see three kids aiming at me. They all threw their ball at me nearly at the same time. Nearly. I caught the first one, but then I dropped it. Out of instinct, I spun and hit the falling ball with my tail. It hurt a little, using so much force, but it wasn't too major. The ball went straight for the other two incoming balls. It hit the front one which hit the back one which made all three balls spread out.

A few minutes passed by. Our team of three were holding out for quite some time. They had eight-oh, make that seven left. Jordan got out as I dodged the three people earlier. It was now one kid and me left, representing our team.

I was out of ammo, the other kid had one that he was using for blocking. But that changed when four balls came at him at once. He was out; I was the last one. I grabbed a ball and threw it at a kid; he just blocked it with a different ball. There were no more balls on my side.

Each kid had at least one ball in each hand, ready to take a shot at me. "Fire!" I heard Nick yell. All the balls came towards me at the same time.

I grabbed one that came right towards my chest and blocked all of the others that were coming at me. They threw there so there was nowhere I could run, so I didn't need to block all of them.

I pointed at a kid who was in our group to come back in; he was the best shot of us all.

As he was coming towards me, I heard Nick say, "Stop!" We both stopped and looked at him, "Fight me, one on one," he said, "the winner claims victory," he proposed. He looked over to Mr. Maclin, he nodded in agreement.

"Nick," a kid said behind him, also wearing a football jersey, "we can just destroy them now. What are you doing?"

"This wolf is good, but don't you worry. I can take him down." He turned back to me, "So what do you say?"

I looked at him. I was panting while he wasn't breaking a sweat. He definitely has better endurance than me; he also has more experience with this game. "Let's do this," I said as I smirked. I rolled a ball to him so he had something to start with. I have no idea why I decided to do this, I was probably going to lose, I just decided to give it a try.

"I will enjoy taking you down, wolf," Nick threatened.

"I can't let you do that, Nick. You've been terrible to the freshman, and now you're going to pay," I said as my voice deepened, a growl forming in my throat.

"Your move," Nick said.

I threw the ball at him as hard as I could. It was going to nail him in the gut. He dropped his ball. Was it that easy? Did I just win? But out of nowhere, he caught it. _NO! _I can't believe it. I thought I had it in the bag.

"WHat a straight shot; so predictable," he mocked, he threw the ball back to me, "I'll give you one last chance, mutt." Now he's done it.

I growled loud enough that he could hear it, then I did a battle howl I heard from wolves before; it echoed all over the room. I threw the ball, but this time, it was well thought out. It hit the floor so it didn't count in the first place, but he blocked it anyway. That's what his weakness was: he could dodge a ball, but his brain doesn't process whether it would count or not; I just have to throw him off.

After I threw it, I ducked down for another one and threw it immediately, bouncing it off the wall this time. He threw his ball at that one, and scooped up another one that he threw at me. I moved to my right and it missed. I threw another one at the floor and it hit him in the face, disorientating him. _Perfect._ I threw another one at him, hitting him on the leg, which caused him to trip.

It was silent for a moment, until all of the kids started cheering; even the seniors were.

I walked up to Nick and put my hand out, "Don't call me a mutt," I said, pulling him up, "Good game," I congratulated once he was up.

He looked at me for a moment, he looked really angry; then out of nowhere, he punched my in the side of my muzzle. I could hear Mrs. Macklin yelling, but I don't think Nick cared. He was going to throw another punch, but I dodged it and grabbed his fist with my free hand, making sure he couldn't throw any other punches.

Mrs. Macklin tapped me on the shoulder, motioning for me to let Nick go. I let go of him and she blocked me from him. "What do you think you're doing? Punching our guest," she turned to me, "I'm sorry, Luke. I don't know what got into Nick, normally he doesn't do that. I've known him since he was a little boy, and that is not like him," she turned back to Nick, "Apologize to Luke," she demanded.

It was silent for a minute, but he did say sorry, though it wasn't sincere.

"Thank you," Mrs. Macklin said, "Do you need anything for your muzzle?" she asked me.

I rubbed my muzzle to make sure it was fine. I didn't hurt too much, and there was nothing broken, "No, I'm fine."

"Okay," she turned back to Nick, "You will have to sit out for the rest of the day. You are lucky to have a nice wolf here instead of a hostile one."

We played dodgeball for the rest of the class; we got two more games in. We lost one and won the other. There was no problems with Nick for the rest of class; he just sat on the bleachers. When I looked at him, he was glaring at me; it was slightly unnerving, but I knew I could defend myself if he tried anything.

The bell rang as all of the kids were in the locker rooms. I was sitting by the exit, waiting for Jordan. A few kids started walking out of the locker rooms; most of them just passed by me, and the others asked me a few questions about myself. I answered their questions until Jordan came out. After that I followed Jordan out of the gym.

"So," I broke the silence, "what's your next class?" I asked him.

"Lunch," he answered. My stomach growled when he said that; he laughed at that, "I'm surprised you never asked when lunch was," he teased.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, "food isn't always my priority," I defended myself.

"Always?" Jordan asked, stretching out the word.

I stopped talking.

We got to the lunchroom in the matter of seconds considering it was right next to the gym. I could smell a bunch of unfamiliar foods coming from it. The scent I smelled the most was grease.

"What kind of food do the sell here?" I asked.

"Today, I always get pizza with my friends," Jordan explained, "We did that in junior high."

"I've never had pizza before," I said, "is it good?"

Jordan hesitated for a moment, "Some people like it, and some don't. That's how school lunch works." I guess I'm willing to try it.

We got in the line to get our food. It was a really long line; there are so many kids here. Most of them didn't seem affected by my presence anymore. I guess seeing me in the halls a few times helped. We stood in the line for about five minutes before we started getting food. I was starving. The food didn't look nor smell that appetizing, but I'll give it a shot.

Once Jordan paid for our food, I followed him out of the line and went to a table. I noticed some people were staring at me, but I was getting used to that.

"Hi Luke," Sam greeted. She was sitting at a table with Jimmy and a few other people.

"Hi," I greeted back as I sat down across from her. Jordan sat next to me.

"Luke," Jordan poked my arm, "this is Camron," he pointed to a kid with short, brown hair. He was average build and wearing a t-shirt that said "Warm River tennis" on it. He waved at me with a nervous smile, I was going to say something, but Jordan continued with the next person, "and this is Dakota." Dakota was a heavier set person who had a buzz cut. He was wearing a plain grey t-shirt. He looked more confident than Camron.

"Hello," I said to the two, "I'm Luke."

"Hi, Luke," Dakota greeted to me, "I never thought I would meet an anthro before!"

"Well, you see one now," I joked.

Sam got up and sat next to me, then she started leaning on me. "What are you doing?" I asked her.

"You're so soft and fluffy," she complimented, a smile on her face.

"I just don't want Jimmy to be jealous," I said, half joking.

"Nah," he replied, "she loves her animals, so I don't mind."

"Animal?" I asked. I don't think animals are as civilized as me.

Jimmy shrugged, "Close enough to one," he explained, "no offence."

"You're good."

Sam looked at my pizza, "Do you like pizza?" she asked me.

"I've never had it before," I told her, "I lived out in the wild until a few days ago. I ate caribou or rabbits."

"Oh," she said, "were you a good hunter?" she asked.

"I didn't really hunt. My dad, brother and sister did that for me. I cooked it with my mom."

"I thought you would eat it raw," Dakota put in.

"I can," I told him, "but we prefer eating it cooked. It tastes better."

"Well then you should try the pizza, then," Sam said.

I looked over to Jordan, he was eating the pizza. I looked back to my slice: it was greasy and it looked slightly unappealing. "Well I'll give it a shot," I said. The smell of cheese was strong, but it was on the grilled cheese, and that was good; maybe this tastes better than it smells.

I picked it up and I could feel the grease on my furry fingers. It was not a feeling I've really felt before, and I don't think I like it. The scent of the pizza growing stronger the closer I put to my muzzle.

I took a bite. It was terrible! How can humans bare this stuff? I kept chewing it anyway. I didn't want to draw attention by spitting it out.

"So how is it?" Sam asked, still leaning on me.

"Awful," I said. That's the one word I would describe it as.

"Really?" she asked, sounding surprised, "I know it's not the best, but I wouldn't call it awful," she explained.

"Well it is," I stated flatly, grabbing my water bottle to wash out my mouth. I guess I'll eat when I get back to Jordan's house.

Lunch was uneventful. A few random kids came to see me and others asked questions, but other than that, nothing happened. Just your average lunch.

The bell rang, telling the students to return to class. I followed Jordan down the hall. He explained that the next class was biology; he said I would like this class. Sam followed us; she had the same classes as Jordan did for the rest of the day. Jimmy also followed us, for he had bio with them too.

The science hall wasn't as packed as the other halls, so we moved faster in it. The bio room was near the end, but it didn't take us long to arrive to it.

I was beginning to get used to people, so it was easy to just walk into the room. We were the first ones into the room; there was no other student in here.

"Hello Mrs. Hazen," Sam greeted to the teacher.

"Good afternoon Sam, Jimmy, Jordan and…" she looked at me and smiled, "you must be the wolf. I've heard so much about you today. I've been looking forward to meeting you!" she said excitedly. This was one of the most energetic teachers I've seen today.

I didn't really know what to say, "I'm Luke Wolfe," I decided to say.

She pulled out her hand, "Tory Hazen. It's a pleasure meeting you, and on such a perfect day too! Today, we start our ecology unit; I bet you know a lot about that."

"That I do," I chuckled, "I've lived in the woods my whole life."

"This is so exciting! Anthros are the most forgotten extinct species; well, I guess you aren't extinct considering you're right here. The last sighting of one was in the 1960's. We thought you went extinct."

"Nope." _Not even close, _I thought.

"Well come on in," she said, "You can sit in the rocking chair in the front of class."

"Thanks," I said, heading to the front of class to sit in the rocking chair. When I sat on it, it began to creak. "Um…"

"Oh it's an old chair," she explained, "you'll be fine."

"Okay," I said unsure.

We waited for a few minutes for more kids to come in. Once the bell rang, class started.

"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Hazen greeted the class. A few said good afternoon back, "Today, we are starting the ecology unit, and we have a special guest in our class. Luke," she looked at me, "could you stand up, please." I stood up. "Thank you."

"Now," she continued, "I'm pretty sure a lot of you have either met or heard about Luke today. He's more special than you think: his species was considered extinct since the 60's, but Jordan's father found Luke out in the woods. He also has told us that he has another one back in his lab that he found a while ago. That makes two confirmed anthropomorphic wolves found." Shane's not in the lab, and scientists have been killing us after the 60's. Maybe civilians aren't supposed to know certain things. The scientists are hiding us.

"Hi," I greeted, waving to everyone, "If you haven't met me yet, I'm Luke Wolfe."

"Would you care to tell us your first hand experience with ecology and about yourself?" Mrs. Hazen asked.

"Sure," I said.

I spent that hour talking about all of the ecology that goes on in Jasper. I never said it was in Jasper, telling them where I lived would be stupid. The class was normal. I think it was my favorite so far; it was the stuff I was interested into, so it made it fun.

The bell rang and all of the students started filing out. I was leaving with Jordan when Mrs. Hazen stopped me.

"Hey, Luke," she said. I turned around to look at her, "Are you going to be back tomorrow?" she asked me.

"Yep," I replied, "I'll be here all week."

"Awesome. See you then," she dismissed us. Now we are on our way to choir.

On our way there, I had a question for Jordan, "Hey, Jordan," he turned to look at me, "Who's the next teacher?"

"Mrs. Mailer; my favorite teacher," he explained, "She can be strict, but in my class, that doesn't happen often. She's known a lot of us for years, so she's more laid back."

"Okay," I replied.

"You'll love her, Luke," Sam promised me, "She's the best teacher in the whole school!"

"If you say so…" I said.

We walked down the hall in silence after that, just trying to get to the choir room. The hallways down here are a lot less crowded. Maybe it was because it was the far end of the building.

We passed the cafeteria and headed towards the gym; the choir room was across the hall from the gym. I could see students walking in to the choir room. There was a lady with short, dark brown hair standing at the entrance.

"Good afternoon you three," Mrs. Mailer greeted, she looked to me, "Hello, young man," she put her hand out, "I'm Mrs. Mailer; choir director for the high school and the junior high school."

I shook her hand, she had a firm, strong handshake. "Hello," I greeted, "I'm Luke Wolfe. I'm here with Jordan," I explained.

"An interesting last name," she stated, "kind of ironic," she laughed, then she put a hand on my shoulder, "Come on in; guests are always welcomed in the choir room."

"Thank you," I thanked as I walked in.

The room had no desks for the students, just chairs. Also there were four different levels of chairs going up like steps. I think it's like that so all of the students can see the director.

"You can sit besides Jordan," Mrs. Mailer told me.

"Okay," I replied. I followed Jordan. He sat in the front row, near the middle. "How do you remember what seat you sit in here?" I asked him. There wasn't much of an order to the seats.

He shrugged, "I guestimate." Works for me.

More students were filling in the room. I looked at the door and what I saw surprised me: I saw one of Nick's football buddies. This is the third time I saw him today. The first when we got to school, the next in gym, and now. This could get interesting.

We made eye contact as soon as he looked away from greeting Mrs. Mailer. He didn't seem mad or anything like that; if anything, I could see respect in his eyes. He was heading towards us. Maybe he sat next to Jordan? It's very possible:they're both boys and normally they sit next to each other in choirs.

"Hey, uh...Luke isn't it?" I nodded, "I never got to say good game in gym class," he put his hand out; I shook it.

"It was," I agreed, "it was a close match."

"Yes." It was silent for a few quick moments, "I want to apologize for Nick's behavior. That was uncalled for."

"It was," I agreed, "but I'm not going to keep a grudge on him. He will just have to deal with me for a week."

"I'm Kyle by the way," he told me, "I heard a rumor that you might be our mascot for friday," he stated.

"I'm still thinking about it," I told him.

The bell rang and class started, "Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Mailer greeted, "we have a guest today," she looked to me, "would you like to introduce yourself, Luke?" she asked.

"Sure," I said. I got up and walked to the front of the room. I noticed that there was only seven guys in this choir, splitting up two groups of girls: the sopranos and the altos. I know my music. "Hi," I started, "I'm Luke Wolfe. Most of you probably met me already, or at least heard of me. There isn't much to say, so I'll answer any questions."

No one raised their hand at first, but a few did after thinking for a bit. "Are you a carnivore?" a girl in the back row asked.

"No," I answered, "I'm an omnivore." I noticed Sam had her hand raised, "Yes, Sam?"

"Can we hear you howl?" she asked enthusiastically. I looked skeptical about that.

"Now, Sam," Mrs. Mailer said, "we don't want to pressure Luke to do something he might not want to do."

"Too late. She's done that all day," I smiled, "It's just I don't want to be too loud," I explained.

"I guess," Sam said, lowering her head. I noticed a few other kids looked disappointed as well.

I felt kinda bad for them; all they wanted to hear was a simple howl, "Alright," I sighed in defeat, "I'll try to make it quiet," I told them. I thought of what kind of howl I should do; maybe a greeting howl. I don't want to alert any wolves around this area; I heard them last night calling the pack in for a hunt.

I closed my eyes and raised my muzzle. I haven't done a full howl in a long time, so this will be interesting.

I remember the one thing grandpa said to me: "Just let it flow out, it will come naturally." That's exactly what I did. I held out the howl for a few moments before I ended it. It was silent for a few minutes before I could hear clapping.

"That was beautiful," Mrs. Mailer said, "I've heard wolf howls before, but not this close. Thank you Luke."

"Yep," I replied and went back to my seat.

"Okay class," Mrs. Mailer started, "It's time to get out your theory stuff!" Everyone groaned in protest. I guess theory, whatever it is, is not liked very well.

After twenty minutes of theory, the class gather back together. So I figured out theory is the stuff that people read music on. It looked long and tedious; not fun. "Everybody get up and do stretches," Mrs. Mailer ordered. Everybody stood up and followed her instructions. First we did arm stretches, then we did the rest of the body. Once all of that was done, we had to warm up our vocal chords. I followed them and sang with them.

"Pull out _The Seal_," she told the class. Jordan opened his folder and pulled out The Seal Lullaby.

"What's this?" I whispered to Jordan.

"This is one of our songs for our fall concert," he explained, "It's a very relaxing song."

"Okay."

I listened to them for a bit, then I joined in on the parts that I learned while they were doing it. I couldn't read the sheet music, so I sang by ear. He was right, the song was relaxing. It is a lullaby, so what do you expect?

After working on that song for thirty minutes, the bell rang. School was finally done. "See you all tomorrow," Mrs. Mailer said happily. Once all of the kids left, I decided I could finally take off the ear plugs. I could hear like a wolf again. I sighed in relief.

"You know," Mrs. Mailer looked to me, "you have a beautiful singing voice."

"Thank you," I blushed, but she couldn't see that, "All wolves I know can sing pretty well," I told her.

"I don't doubt that," she said, "I heard from Mrs. Hazen that anthropomorphic wolves were reported extinct; obviously not, but how many of you are there?" she asked me.

I thought for a moment, counting everybody I knew: there was Adam, Sarah, Ian, mom, dad, grandpa, and Shane. I have no idea how big the civilization in Siberia is.

"I personally know seven," I answered, "but I'm sure there are more out there."

"So you spent your entire life until how hiding from humans?"

"I was brought up learning that humans were dangerous," I explained, "so we spent our time hiding."

"That must have been terrible," she sympathized.

"It wasn't that bad. I had a loving family that would take care of me."

"Had?" she asked.

"I left them a while ago to find others," I told her. I couldn't really go into detail otherwise I might say something I shouldn't say, "I was captured by Jordan and another anthro named Shane. After that I was offered to do a few tests with going to school being one of them."

"Wow," she said, "you've gone through a lot for such a young age."

"Yeah," I agreed, "but I was willing to do it."

I heard Jordan's phone vibrate and looked down at it.

Jordan looked up to me, "We gotta go." It looked like something was bothering him.

"Okay," I replied. I put out my hand, "It was nice to meet you. I'll be here for this week, then I'm leaving."

She shook my hand, "Then I'll see you tomorrow. Have a nice day," she said as we were leaving.

We walked out the front door. Principal Alan was talking to Officer Johnson. They turned to me and waved; I waved back. After that, we saw Leo waiting for us, his fingers tapping the steering wheel impatiently. Something is going on.

"Hi, Uncle Leo," Jordan greeted, not sounding too excited.

"We have to go," he said. He didn't even greet us.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I'll explain on the way," was all he told me.

**Oh boy. I wonder what's going on? Luke finished his first day of school. He met a few interesting characters during the day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; See you guys next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: Bad News and Family

**I hope you enjoy! This is my third chapter today. Just call this making up for the few months I was off.**

It was quiet for a while in the van. Jordan nor Leo would say anything. I decided I would break the silence. "What is going on here?" I demanded. It was silent for a few minutes. Leo didn't look happy at all. Maybe he had a bad day at work or something. Finally, I heard Leo mumble something.

"I told Dennis this was a foolish idea," Leo mumbled.

"What," I asked, getting a little frustrated that I wasn't getting any answers.

"Taking you to school," he grunted, "I knew it would grab the media's attention."

"The media?" I asked, "You mean like the news?"

"Exactly. We didn't want you guys to be public yet, but Dennis decided that revealing you to the school would be fine. News spreads fast and we don't want you two to be known yet."

It was silent in the van for a moment before he continued talking, "We need to get out of here. We're going to go pick up Shane, then we're leaving. I talked to Dennis already, we are to head out of state and head to the Anthro Research Facility in Siberia. I'll get into more detail later. Once we get to the house, Dennis and I will distract the news while you and Jordan will get Shane, pack up, and get back to the van." He looked through the rear view mirror, "You said you know some ninja skills?"

"Yeah," I replied. This was a lot of information to take in. I guess I won't be seeing Mrs. Mailer tomorrow. At least we are heading toward Siberia, but I need to pick up a few more anthros.

"Good, then grab your stuff and Shane and get back to the van. That is your mission," he joked a little. Even when he's stressed, he can joke around a bit. It's a nice quality to have.

"Yes sir," I joked back, saluting.

We got to Jordan's house, there were a lot of people there. _Must be the news people, _I thought to myself. I got out of the van to see Dennis surrounded by cameras and microphones. Good, I can sneak past.

It was too easy. I literally had to walk by with my hood up to cover my ears and look away to hide my muzzle. I also wrapped my tail around my waist so it looked like a belt. There was no problem sneaking in at all.

I opened the door to see Jordan's mom waiting at the kitchen. "Hi Luke," she greeted, "I packed all of your belongings in a bag; it's in your room," she explained.

"Thanks," I thanked, rushing to my room. I found a backpack sitting next to my sword. It couldn't fit the backpack. I put the sword over my shoulder and left to Shane's room. When I got in there, he was packing.

"Sup," he said in between packing clothes.

"So are you bringing your video games?" I asked.

"No," he said, "how would I fit them in my backpack?" I asked.

"Good point."

"However," he continued, "I am bringing my 3DS with a few games. I'll entertain myself with that for now." _What's a 3DS? _I thought, _no time to ask._

Once his backpack had all that he needed, he went in his closet and pulled out his two tomahawks and a belt/holster. He quickly put on his belt and slid the tomahawks in them. "You have a sword and I have tomahawks," he pointed out, he looked to me and smiled confidently, "We'll make the best ninja team ever."

"Yes we will," I agreed, "but first we need to see if Jordan is packed up, then we can go."

"Roger," Shane said and followed me. Jordan was done when we got in his room. It seemed like a lot of his stuff was packed already. _Maybe his mom already packed for him. _"Let's go," Shane told Jordan.

"Right," Jordan replied.

"We'll take the back yard," Shane said, "then we can sneak out and not grab any attention."

"Good plan," I told him. We went out the back door and went into part of the woods. Jordan texted Leo to pick us up on a path that we were nearby. We waited for a minute before we could hear his van coming. We quickly got in through the back door, Leo then started driving away. I was back on my journey.

"They all made it, Jennifer," Leo said.

"Great," I could hear a voice coming from Leo's cellphone that was plugged into the van. "I'll have Dennis call you guys later."

"Okay, talk to you later," he said, then hung up. It was silent for a few moments, then Leo started up a conversation, "So Luke, where are we going? Dennis told me about your background. You need to form up a team? Where are we going first?"

I dug through my backpack for a second before I found the note grandpa gave me. I read it for a quick minute. "Do you know where the Porcupine Mountains are?" I asked him.

"Ah, Michigan," he stated, "it's been a while since I went to the UP. Yeah, I have a friend who works there. Is that the first location?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Okay. It's an eighteen hour drive to get there if we make no stops, so you better get comfortable," he warned us.

Two hours have passed and I have explained everything to Leo that he needed to know. I even told him that there was a civilization in Siberia. I was very hesitant to do that, but after a while, I began to trust him more. I guess him and Jordan are kind of part of my team now. I never thought of having humans on my team.

Once I was done explaining things more thoroughly, Leo told me why we had to leave in a rush. He said that there was a report of an anthro sightings a few weeks before Jordan and Shane captured me. Apparently, besides some documents, scientists haven't found any evidence of anthros existing; no fur, no skeletons, nothing. Anthros are really sneaky. Anyway, they reported that if any anthro is found, that they must hand it over to a secretive bio lab in North America, and Dennis didn't want to give up Shane or me. He has no idea what they do to anthros there, but they never come out.

In Siberia, all of the data and information is public among other scientists to see. Leo said that they mostly test something called LD 50. All I know is that means testing on how well an anthro can survive with a certain amount of a chemical or other product. The difference though is that scientist from all over Russia can buy the anthros for a high price and do their own experiments. Shane and I are legal to be there with certain circumstances, so we are safer there than in America. So much for the land of the free.

The sun was beginning to set and I was slowly closing my eyes for sleep. I had enough things happen for one day.

"Hey Luke," my ears pricked. It was Shane.

"What," I said with my eyes still closed.

"What's it like living with anthros?" he asked. I opened one eye to look across the van. Shane was looking down, cleaning one of his tomahawks. His ears were bent back slightly. I feel bad for him, he never really knew his family. Sure, he had Dennis and the others, but it's not his real family.

I thought back to my family. We had it almost perfect. We all loved each other. Sure, there was a lot of teasing from Adam and Sarah, but that is what they do, I still love them. Our belief was that family sticks together, and look at us now: I had to leave them. Family is very important, and I know I will have another family: my team, but I couldn't help but feel homesick. I haven't talked to them in a while, but I'll be back, even if it is to train and leave again.

"Luke?" Shane interrupted my thoughts.

"Living with anthros is wonderful," I told him, "Life is all about family and being together." I looked back to him and I saw his lip quiver. His ears were fully flat now.

"Don't worry Shane," I said, putting my hand on his knee, "you have Dennis and his family."

"It's not the same," he whimpered.

"Shane, look at me," I said softly, "I am your new family. Our team will be your new family. You will be surrounded by wolves who care for you, and that's what family's all about."

Right at that moment, Shane hugged me. It surprised me a little, "Thanks Luke," he thanked.

I hugged Shane back. He needed someone as a family. "Anytime...brother."

**It was a shorter chapter, but it had a lot of information in it. Shane has a new family, and it will grow. I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you'd like. See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Are We Reddy?

**I'm back everybody with another chapter! Again, I apologize how long it's been since last chapter, and it's going to be like that for a while. Sorry. I will try to get done as fast as I can with keeping the quality the chapters are. Enjoy!**

"Psst...Luke, wake up," I heard someone say.

I opened my eyes only to see Shane in my face. "What?" I asked drowsily, rubbing my eyes. After Shane and I talked, I fell asleep. "Are we there?"

"No," he laughed, "We are making a pit stop at Slade National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota." Oh.

I looked over to Leo who was sitting at the driver's seat looking at a map. Moved towards the front until I was behind him. I looked at the map. It was the one grandpa gave to me. That map was supposed to be secret. Leo noticed my presence and turned around, a guilty look on his face.

"Sorry," he apologized, folding up the map, "I just wanted to know where we had to go before we leave to Siberia."

I sighed. I shouldn't be too mad; he was going to be the one to take me around to all of the places, so he might as well known where he was going. "It's okay," I forgave him, "It's going to be a while before we go to Siberia because once we're done with these places," I said, opening the map and pointing at all of our destinations, "then we have to head back to my home here," I pointed at Jasper. "We need to go there for some training with my grandpa."

He was silent for a moment, "Okay. I didn't know your grandpa still had it in him," he joked.

"He'll have it in him until he dies," I replied, "and that won't be anytime soon."

It was silent for a moment before Shane spoke up, "So, what family are meeting first?"

I looked back at the note, "Uh...The last name is Reddy. My grandpa's partner's name is Dante," I explained, "I have no idea what the grandson or daughter's name is, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Woah woah woah!" Shane broke out, "We might have a girl on our team?" he asked. I just nodded, he was silent for a moment, thinking, "Sweet," was all he said.

I heard Jordan sigh, "Why did you have to tell him that?" he asked me, then looked at Shane, "You better behave if it is a girl."

"I will," Shane sighed, "I'm not that bad, come on Jordan. I've just never met a girl anthro before."

Jordan just sighed. "I'll keep an eye on him," I promised. Shane does have a point though: this will be my first time meeting a female anthro that isn't my family, but that doesn't make any difference to me. Maybe it's because I've grown up with some pretty tough girls; they have to be tough to survive. I'll just have to keep an eye on Shane.

"The internet has corrupted you, Shane," Leo said, "just like a lot of kids in your generation."

"You were the one who introduced me to it," Shane retorted.

"I was trying to get you an education," he defended himself, "but you had to get distracted onto other websites."

"Next topic, please," I said. They silenced, "let's have a peaceful trip to the Porcupine Mountains, shall we?"

"I guess," Shane said, flattening his ears a bit. Shane reminds me of a little kid at points.

We hung around Slade for a few hours before we were on the road again. I decided to talk to everybody about the school day; after that, Jordan started teaching me about some music theory. I asked him to teach me; I like singing, so I might as well learn how to read it. We did that for a few hours before I went back asleep, I'm still recovering for the long trip plus the school day.

I woke up to find nobody else in the van. I'm kind of surprised that Shane or Jordan didn't wake me up like earlier at Slade. I wonder where we are? _Well, _I thought to myself, _I might as well see where we are._ I went to the door and opened it; the first thing I saw was a camp fire.

"Ah," I heard Shane say, "sleeping beauty is finally awake."

I rubbed my eyes. It was day, but what time is it? I asked them and Leo said, "12:45. Lunch time."

My stomach growled when I heard it was lunch time, "So what are we having?" I asked him.

Leo shrugged, "What are you getting us?"

"What?" I asked, confused. I just woke up, how am I supposed to know what's for lunch.

"Well…" Jordan started.

"We left in a rush," Leo continued, "I just got back from work when I had to pick you two up. I didn't have time to grab some food, so we decided to wait for you to wake up so you can hunt for us," he explained, "You learned how to hunt, right?"

"Of course I can hunt," I scoffed, "what wolf can't hunt?"

"Shane," I heard Jordan mutter, Shane glaring at him.

"I sure as hell can hunt," She rebuked, heading towards the truck. He came back out with his tomahawks, "Let's go, Luke," he said, heading eastward. I followed along.

Shane and I were silent until we were deep in the forest, even then, Shane knew to whisper so he wouldn't scare the deer.

"So," Shane started, "what's the plan. I've never hunted before."

"Really?" I asked, a little surprised. "Well we need to find their scent, figure out where the deer are. With two noses it will be faster."

We smelled the a for a good minute before Shane spoke up, "I think I can smell something."

I went over to him to see what he smelled; he was right, I could smell deer. "Great job," I congratulated him, "follow me." We followed the scent for a bit before the scent became really strong. I held my hand up to stop Shane. Deer was definately nearby.

I silently pulled out my sword and got to a crouching stance and started advancing without stepping on anything that would make noise. Shane followed me; I was impressed with how silent he moved. He must've practiced it a few times. I looked ahead to see a herd of deer grazing on some grass. _Perfect._

I looked back to Shane and pointed to Shane, once I got his attention, I pointed over to another corner of the forest that he should go to. While he was doing that, I looked at the deer, looking for the weakest looking one. There was one grazing on the outskirts of the herd; the only problem was is that that one of the biggest buck was right next to it. Grandpa told me to never get close to one, they're dangerous. So I decided to look for another weakling out there.

I spotted another one not to far from where I told Shane to go. I looked over to Shane's location to see that he was in position, looking at me. I pointed at the weak deer that was next to, _the target._

Shane nodded and waited for my signal. I put up three fingers, then two, then one, then a fist and ran out of the cover. Shane jumped out the second I jumped out and went straight for the deer. The weak one tried to run, but then I saw Shane throw one of his tomahawks out and it hit the deer's throat. _Bullseye._

Shane howled out in victory as he went to his first ever kill. "That was awesome," he yelled ecstatically, "my first kill!"

"Great job," I praised him, looking at the deer, "You have a really accurate throw."

"Thanks," he thanked, "but you made it easy. I thought you go for the big deer, but I listened to you."

"Grandpa told me that wolves go for the weakest one. Hunting is not an easy task for wolves, hunting for the weakest one will give them some sort of chance to get food to feed the pack," I explained, "Humans, on the other hand, hunt for the big ones because they have the guns to do it."

"Okay, good to know. Nice use of hand signals, by the way."

I just realized, my first time ever being a team leader was a success! I kept my excitement inside though, I didn't want to sound like I was bragging.

"How did you know my hand signals?" I asked him, "grandpa taught me those."

"You were using basic military hand signals. I learned them from video games; still, anybody can really figure out what you meant, they're very understandable."

I thought about that for a moment, "I guess you're right," I replied, "they are pretty easy to follow." I looked down to the deer, it's neck stopped bleeding, "Come on, let's take this back to Jordan and Leo."

"Wait," Shane stated, "I smell something…"

"Huh?" I asked, smelling the air. I caught it too, it smelled like wolf, but slightly like human. _Anthro!_

"It smells kinda like you," Shane pointed out, "is it another anthro?"

"I think so," I replied, "Let's bring back the deer and after dinner we can go and investigate. We don't want the others to worry."

"I guess you're right, let's go."

We eventually got the deer back to the campsite; for being a small deer, it was still pretty heavy. We spent an hour and a half preparing and cooking the deer. We told them about our successful hunt and how well we worked together as a team, then we told them about the scent. They agreed with us that we should go and investigate, but they wouldn't go with us. Having humans with us might scare them off or they might take it as a danger, so we left without them.

"Hey Luke?" Shane broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

He was silent a moment, his ears were flattened, "I'm sorry for acting that way, you know, when you mentioned a girl. That was childish of me."

"That's okay Shane," I said, "Just prove Jordan wrong…" I heard a twig snap, and it didn't sound too far. My ears pricked as I heard it. I saw Shane's muzzle point up, trying to catch a scent. Shane's strong nose might come in handy.

I put my hand parallel to the ground and lowered it, signaling for Shane to get down. He got down and followed me. I could smell wolf now.

After sneaking through the undergrowth for a bit, I saw an anthro crouching behind a tree and holding some kind of bow. It was a male and he was young. He was a bit shorter than Shane, but taller then me, and skinny with a little muscle all over.

I looked back to Shane and saw that he noticed him too. I ordered Shane to go in front. His orange pelt would be better camouflage then my grey one.

Shane and I sat back and watcher what the anthro was doing. He seemed to be focused on something, so I followed his gaze. I saw the deer herd that Shane and I hunted from a few hours ago; looks like this anthro was hunting.

He moved forward a little and drew back his bow and aimed down it. The bow looked nothing like the one grandpa uses. It looked more complicated and had more strings on it; it also had a sight.

Then he shot the arrow and I heard a yelp come from one of the deer. I saw a deer running, an arrow in its flank. I saw it run with the other deer until it started slowing down. It was bleeding out. The deer collapsed to the floor and died soon after. I looked back at the anthro to see his tail wagging as he got up to retrieve his kill.

"Nice kill!" I called to him impulsively, immediately covering my mouth.

The anthro turned around with another arrow pulled back already. It was aiming right at us. We were caught.

He gave a SOS howl then said, "You have five seconds to come out of that bush," he said. We had no choice; we were caught. Shane and I got up, Shane had a tomahawk in his hand. "What the…" he stammered, sounding surprised, "Who are you?" he asked.

I walked out in front of Shane, arms opened to show that I had no weapons in my hands. "I'm Luke and this is Shane," I explained, "We're looking for a Dante Reddy," I said, being straightforward. I might as well cut to the chase; Maybe this is a relative of his.

He looked at me surprised, his mouth slightly agape, then raised his bow up to me again, "How do you know him?" he asked, sounding hostile.

"Look," I said, getting a little impatient, "I just need to talk to him. I'll explain then." I took a step forward and he drew his arrow further back; this was getting on my nerves. I'm so close to meeting a member of the original ninja wolf team and somebody who knows him- probably his grandson- is keeping him from me, and I don't feel like explaining myself over and over again to everyone like I did at Shane's. It's a waste of breath.

"I need to know before I can take you there," he growled. I don't like how hostile he is, and I really don't like having a bow in my face.

I swiftly pulled out my sword, took a large step forward, and swung it at his bow. I hit with enough force that he dropped it, the arrow shooting off a different direction.

I was about to say something, but I could hear a growl from behind me. I turned around to see another anthro behind Shane. He was a lot older, about as old as my grandpa. He had a sword in both of his hands; it was bigger than mine, probably a katana.

We stared at each other in the eye for what felt like forever, until his gaze softened.

"You look just like Nickolai."

**Are you ready to meet the Reddys next chapter? Like the title? I love puns. I have a HUGE announcement: I am prout to say that I am working on a new fanfic! It is called **_**The Eevee Team**_**. If you haven't already guessed, it's a Pokemon fanfic, so if you like Pokemon or this story, be sure to check it out. Look on my account for the story. I would love to see familiar faces there! See you next time!**


	15. Chapter 15: Lessons

**I'M BACK! Sorry for taking so long, guys. I lost motivation for writing this story for a bit. Then I had break where I really didn't work on it much, and I got sick on New Years. But enough about me, let's get on with this new chapter! Enjoy.**

"You look just like Nickolai," the old, brown wolf said to me. We stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. After making eye contact for a while, his eyes went down to my sword. "That's the sword I gave Nickolai before we parted ways," he said.

"A-are you Dante Reddy?" I asked, shocked a little.

"Yes I am," he responded, "Are you a Wolfe?"

My jaw was agape. I can't believe I found one of them, this easily too. I nodded.

He lowered his sword.

"Joe," he said, looking to the other brown anthro, "you don't need to worry. They aren't a threat to us."

He walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "Come with me," he said, laughing, "we have much to discuss." Before we left, he turned to Shane and narrowed his eyes, "You look like Dakota! How's my best friend doing?" he asked.

Shane flattened his ears, "He's...not around anymore. He died when I was a pup, along with the rest of my family."

Dante frowned, "That's a shame. He was a great wolf, my best friend. He will be missed." He looked at Shane and smiled, "but out in the wild, we must stay positive."

"I guess," Shane said.

Dante nodded, "Good, now let's get this deer home and cooked. You two must be hungry after your travels."

"We just ate," I explained.

"Okay," he replied, "well let's get you two to my place so we can talk more."

"Okay," I said.

Shane and I followed Dante home. I helped Joe carry the deer back. He still looked hostile towards me. I mean I disarmed him when he was trying to protect himself, I would be pretty pissed too.

"So you're Nikolai's grandson, correct?" Dante asked me on our way to his place.

"Yep," I answered.

"How is he?"

"He's good," I answered, "he's still standing strong."

"That sounds like him," Dante replied. He turned to me and said, "I can see he passed on his personality that he had before the war."

What? "What do you mean 'before the war'?" I asked.

He sighed, "He was bold, like you: you went after a ranged attacker with a sword. Nikolai would do things like that, but after the war, that changed. He didn't seem right, he was always reserved," he looked me in the eyes and smiled, "but I can see that he's doing fine."

We walked for another ten minutes in silence. The only sound was the sound of birds cawing in the leafless trees and crumples of the leaves. Fall was halfway done, which means we will have to travel to Quebec in the winter. At least my winter coat is growing in; it will make keeping warm a lot easier.

"Here we are," Dante said.

Joe and I set down the deer. I was panting; that was a longer trip than I thought. Joe was fine. I looked it the house. It was a log cabin design just like my home. I guess it's the easiest house to make when you live in a forest.

"Grampa?" I heard a feminine voice say inside of the house. The door opened and an anthro ran out and hugged Dante, then Joe. After she let go of Joe, she looked at Shane and I, "Who are these two?" she asked.

Dante smiled, "I think it's the new team."

She didn't question him. Maybe she already knew what he was talking about.

Shane and I followed them in the house, having me and Joe take the deer in. I noticed Shane looking at the girl, so I elbowed him. I guess Jordan and Leo were right when they told me to watch him. I could sense him blush and I heard him mutter an apology.

"We're back," Joe called. It was the first time he talked in awhile.

"I smell white tail," I heard a younger voice say. I looked over Joe's shoulders to find two adults (assumingly his parents) and a younger boy, who was sniffing the air.

"Yep," Joe answered, "freshly caught."

The boy looked at Shane and I and yelled, "Intruders!" and pulled out a sword.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, pulling out my ninjato and blocking his slash.

"Robby!" Joseph yelled at him, taking his sword away, "I told you to not go into my sword collection.

His ears flattened, "Sorry."

The two adults were looking at me strangely, "Dad, " the woman said, "who are these two?"

"Some visitors sent here by an old friend," he explained.

"Nikolai?" the male asked.

"Indeed," he replied. "Gather around and let them introduce themselves." All of them gathered around, looking at us. Dante gestured to us to speak. Shane and I looked at each other, and he nodded, letting me go first.

"Hi," I greeted, "my name is Luke Wolfe and I came here from Jasper Park, Canada."

"And I'm Shane Fitzgerald. I'm from Yellowstone, Idaho."

When our brief introductions were done, the male got up and spoke, "I'm Josh and this is my mate Annabeth. These are our children: Mercy," he pointed at the girl Shane was ogling at earlier, "Joseph," I already met him, "and Robby." He pointed at the younger one. I can tell that brown fur was dominant in this family. The only one not brown was Annabeth who was a silver and black combination.

"Nice to meet you," I said politely.

"Hi," Shane said, staring at Mercy again. I stepped on his foot, and he yelped in surprise. Mercy giggled.

"Well," Annabeth said, "I gotta go cook this deer. Are you two staying for dinner?"

"Yes," I answered, "but we aren't eating. We already ate."

"You sure?"

"Yes," I responded.

Over an hour passed and the deer was cooked. While we waited, Shane and I left to tell Leo and Jordan that we found them and possibly will stay the night. Once that was taken care of, we grabbed our stuff to bring back. I brought only the stuff grandpa packed so I can show them why we are there.

"So that old wolf finally decided to bring back the team, eh?" Dante asked. Shane and I were talking to Dante alone in the woods.

"Yes," I answered, "he told me to go and find the original team and reform it with the younger generations."

"I see," he said, "well you have two so far, you and Shane, I mean."

"Well I'm here to pick up the third one," I chuckled.

"And I can help you with that, but…"

"But what?" Shane asked.

"I haven't seen much of your skills," he pointed out, stroking his chin, "Would you two mind sparring? I would bring Joe with me. He would be the one to join you two."

Shane and I looked at each other. A spar? Shane and I haven't fought each other yet, and I've seen his tomahawk skills: they are not something to mess with. But I do have the range advantage. I have my sword and shurikens.

I could see it in Shane's eyes that he wanted to do this. Maybe he's just itching for a fight. I guess I'm up for a challenge.

"Alright," I shrugged.

"Hell yeah!" Shane exclaimed as he pulled out a tomahawk from a sheath, "Where are we fighting?" he asked Dante.

Dante smiled at his enthusiasm, "Follow me, there's a good opening not to far. Just let me get Joe first."

"Okay," I replied, "we'll wait out here."

I turned to Shane, he could barely stand still, "This is gonna be so fun," he stated like a pup.

"Now Shane, Don't go too easy-"

"Easy?" he laughed, "Who ever said I was going easy on you?"

"Just be careful," I said, "I like all my limbs where they are."

He laughed again, "Don't worry, you can count on me."

A few minutes passed and Dante, followed by Joe, came back out. "Okay, let's get this show on the road." Shane and I followed him deeper into the woods. We walked for about ten minutes before Dante stopped in a clearing, "Here we are. This is where I trained Joe." He turned to me, "You ready, kid?"

"Of course," I answered.

"And you ready?" he looked over to Shane. He just nodded, bouncing in excitement. "Alright, both of you get to an end and I will count down; then you may begin." Shane and I got an end of the clearing, and Dante started the countdown.

"Three...Two...One...GO!"

Right when the match started, Shane began charging and snarling. I never knew Shane could be so scary looking. He sure can change in a second.

I pulled out my sword and decided to play defense first, since Shane is in an all out charge. Shane swung one tomahawk to my upper right, I locked my sword with his tomahawk. I sensed the other one coming to my left. I took one hand off the sword and grabbed Shane's wrist, stopping to tomahawk mere inches from my waist.

I felt like I had the upper hand, I picked one foot up and slammed it down in front of his foot, getting a better stance. Once that was complete, I pushed forward until I was about to trip him, but when I was about to, his body went limp. I lost grip of his wrist and our weapons disconnected. Shane fell while I lost my balance and soon fell with him, but as I was about to land on him, he kicked my in the stomach and threw me. I landed with a thud.

I could feel a growl raise in my throat, but I ignored it. I turned to see Shane, but as I turned, he was on top of me, tomahawk heading straight for me. I quickly reacted and grabbed it by the blade. I was expecting pain, but there was none. I forgot that grandpa told me I could handle blades with the claws on.

I threw his tomahawk to the hide and pushed him off me with my remaining arm and legs. I quickly got up and grabbed my sword from the ground. I had the advantage yet again. Shane got up, both tomahawks in hand, but I took the offence this time. I took a few steps forward and swung at Shane. He blocked with both tomahawks. We were at a standstill for a few moments, until I decided to put all off my weight into the attack.

I heard Shane grunt with effort. He took a few steps backwards and retreat his tomahawks. With all of my weight pushing on nothing, I staggered forwards. Then I felt a hot pain in my right calf. I yelped in pain and turned around. Shane backed up to get some distance. We stood where we were, staring at each other. I was panting heavily, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. Shane stood there like he was never in combat; he has a lot of endurance. Shane may have the advantage, but I'm not giving up yet.

I took a few steps forward and threw a few shurikens at him. He flinched as he got hit by them, but even so, he blocked my attack. I pulled my sword back to do another attack, but Shane was already attacking. I grabbed his tomahawk that was coming from the left and ducked the one on the right. I took a few steps back until I felt my back hit a tree. Shane quickly swung his tomahawk again as I dodge. It got wedged into the tree. Shane ignored it and left it behind. That'll help.

The only problem with one tomahawk over two is that he is even faster with one. Shane slashed his tomahawk predictably. I blocked it, but I couldn't block his foot as it hit me behind my knee. I fell to the ground and I felt more searing pain on my shoulder. I turned to see a foot kicked into my muzzle. I landed heavily to the ground. When I opened my eyes, there was a tomahawk right up to my face. I flinched but nothing happened. I opened my eyes again to see that I was pinned. Shane was staring down at me, satisfaction in his eyes. "Get rekt," was all he said to me as he pulled his tomahawk away.

I could hear clapping to my side. I slowly looked over to see Dante clapping, while Joe had his arms across his chest, he looked thoroughly impressed.

"Great job," Joe said.

"Indeed," Dante said. He slowly walked up to Shane and put a hand on his shoulder. "You have fantastic speed and reflexes. Those will help you on the battlefield."

Shane bowed to him and said, "Thanks. I work really hard with these things," he looked to his tomahawks, "they're all I have left of my family."

"And they will stay with you for a long time." Dante looked to me, then back at Shane, "I think Joe wants to say a few things to you."

Shane nodded and went to go talk to Joe. I looked to Dante who had a hand pulled out to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. I whimpered at the pain. "That was a helluva fight. Good job."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"You don't sound very pleased," he pointed out.

"I lost!" I exclaimed, "of course I'm not happy."

Dante sighed, "I know that you lost the battle, but you can with the aftermath."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Learn from the battle so that next one will be better. Shane was swift and agile while you...are hulking mass and strength. You took those hits pretty well. Most people would have collapsed being cut in the leg like that, but you stood strong."

"I guess," I agreed.

"I saw that you were trying to use your weight as an advantage, Nickolai told you to do that right?"

"Yeah," I answered, "he said that having the weight advantage can really change a battle."

"It can," Dante agreed, "but you must learn how to use it properly. The problem is it takes a heavyweight to teach a heavyweight most effectively, so I can't help you out."

I just sighed in response.

"Don't be disappointed when you lose, Luke. We all lose at some point and we just have to accept it and embrace what lessons comes out of it." It was silent for a few moments, "Let's go get those wounds check out. Annabeth and Mercy have some healing supplies back home."

"Okay."

The four of us headed back. It was a silent trip. I wonder what Shane and Joe are thinking about right now? I'm glad there's no aggression between Shane and I right now. It was just a spar anyway; no harm done. I really want these wounds to get looked at, and maybe get some food; that spar sure worked up an appetite.

If there's anything I learned today, besides not to mess with Shane, is that loss is just a part of life that everyone goes through.

**How'd you like it? I decided after the long wait that you guys deserved a battle scene, so I gave you one. This chapter was very split because I started it before I lost inspiration then finished the rest in one day. I tried my best to make it look fluent, so hopefully you didn't notice. Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: Lessons Part 2

**Here's chapter 16 guys! Stay tuned till the end because I have an announcement at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.**

"Ow," I said as Mercy put gauze around my calf. We were back at Dante's place, and I was getting my wounds checked on. Shane was on the other side of the room, staring at Mercy.

"Sorry," she apologized, "Your thick fur is making it more difficult."

"It's my winter coat. It snows sooner where I live than here," I explained.

"Where is that?" she asked, cleaning off her hands.

"Jasper, up in Canada."

"I've heard it's beautiful up there," she stated. She came back with more gauze, "I need to get at your shoulder. Can you take off your shirt and sweatshirt?"

"Sure." I took of my sweatshirt and shirt. She looked at the wound with a pained expression.

"This one is deeper than the other one. It's still bleeding." I heard Shane mutter an apology on the other side of the room. Mercy walked over to a drawer and pulled out a plastic bag with some plants in it. She then pulled out a mortar and pestle and grinded them up and put a little water into it. "This is horsetail. It helps stop bleeding; it may sting slightly." She smeared it into her hand then rubbed it into the wound. It didn't really sting all that much. I think the rubbing hurt more than the herb. Once that was done, she wrapped gauze around my shoulder. "There you go; all better!"

I looked at the gauze; it kind of looked like I had broken my arm with the way she put it on. "Thanks," I thanked her as I stood up.

"Food's ready!" I heard Annabeth call. My stomach growled when I heard food.

Mercy giggled, "Come on Fluffy, get you clothes on and let's go get some food."

I blushed at the nickname and put on my shirt and sweatshirt.

"Fluffy," I heard Shane laugh, "I like it. You're good at nicknames Mercy," he complimented.

"Thanks," she said. I could sense her blushing.

"Come on you two," I said, breaking them up, "food's waiting."

We followed Mercy out into the kitchen. I could smell whitetail. Shane and I sat down next to each other; and Mercy, Joe, and Robert were on the other side, their father on one end and Dante sitting on the other end. Annabeth brought plates with deer to us. I thanked her and dug in. It was almost as good as my mom's cooking.

"I'm impressed by both of your skills," Dante said, "there were flaws, but both of you aren't highly trained, so that is to be expected." Shane and I thanked him, "Joseph and I have been talking and he agrees to join you two on your quest to reform the team."

"Cool!" Shane exclaimed.

"But…" Joe interrupted, "I want a spar against you Shane. I haven't had one in a while and that was against grampa."

"I've won one match, I can win another," Shane said, sounding cocky.

"Don't be so confident," Dante told Shane, "Joseph is an excellent swordsman, and he's seen you fight. He already knows your weaknesses. He's been itching for another chance to fight someone."

"And I want to keep up my winning streak," Joe said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Shane scoffed, "I fight differently every battle."

I looked over to Shane, "When were you in any other battle besides today?"

"That's not the point," he retorted, not looking amused, "If I learned anything from the years of Call of Duty, I am great at winging things?"

Dante and Joe looked at him confused, "It's a video game," I said, then I turned to him, "That has nothing to do with sparring," I pointed out.

"I know what I'm talking about," he defended himself.

Nothing much happened that day. Shane and Joe agreed to spar tomorrow, and Mercy told me to not do much because of my wounds. I think she was being too overprotective. Joe's father showed us to the guest room. I have no idea why they have a guest room if they are hiding, but I won't complain. Shane let me take the bed while he would sleep on the ground.

I spent the rest of the day laying in bed looking at the things in my backpack. Once we leave here, we have to go to La Mauricie up in Quebec to meet the Stewart family. I wonder what they will be like?

Shane came in when the sun set. I could hear metal hitting carpet. I could also smell sweat coming from Shane. Was he training? Maybe he was heeding Dante's warning. All I know is that he went to sleep right away, his light snoring being the only sound besides evening birds chirping. He must've been working hard. I decided I would go to bed as well.

I woke up to the smell of food. Someone was cooking breakfast. I slowly got up, stretched, and yawned, slowly walking out of the room.

When I got to the kitchen, the smell of deer was strong. I saw Dante and his family sitting at the table and enjoying breakfast. I noticed someone was missing, "Where's Shane?" I asked.

"He went out," Joe explained, "he didn't tell us where."

"I'll get him," I told them, then walked out the door.

Once I got outside, I started following his scent trail. I wonder where he went? Last I saw him, he came into the room exhausted with his tomahawks. I guess my questions will be answered soon, because his scent trail is getting really strong and I could hear grunting. I got behind a bush and looked through it. Shane was practicing with his tomahawks on a tree.

I decided to get out of the cover, "What are you doing?"

His ears flattened and he flinched at the sound of my voice. "Nothin'," he replied. I just stared at him, "Fine," he gave in, "I'm just warming up for the spar. How's your leg and shoulder doing?"

"Better." Now he's just trying to switch topics. "So how was your 'warm up' last night?"

He looked at me, slightly surprised, "Damn, I thought I came back without anyone noticing."

"Nope," I replied. I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "What's going on, Shane? Do you not feel ready for the spar?"

Shane shrugged off my hand and walked away. He threw a tomahawk into a tree, it stuck in the tree deeply. "Kinda," he replied.

I could tell he was hiding something. "Come on Shane, you can tell me anything."

He sighed, "I don't feel ready. No offence, but I can tell will be much harder to beat then you, and I beat you out of luck."

"Shane," I said as I walked up to him again, "You did not beat me out of luck. You have powerful instincts and you are very familiar with your weapons. I got my ninjato about a month before I met you. What you did out there against me was with instinct and skill. I think you have a chance at beating Joe, but skipping breakfast and wearing yourself out doesn't help you out in any way."

"Thanks Luke."

"Any time. It's hard to win a spar when you don't believe in yourself," I pointed out.

Shane laughed a bit, "True."

"Let's go get some breakfast."

"You and your food."

Shane and I got back to the house and had some deer. The others didn't question Shane's disappearance, and even if they did, I don't think Shane would've answered. Once breakfast was done, I talked to Dante and showed him the stuff grandpa gave me. He told me some stories about their adventures and I told him about mine. One thing that's for sure: he has a lot more adventures than I do. After talking for an hour, Joe came in, "We're ready to spar," he declared.

"Alright," Dante said, getting up, "Let's go Luke."

We followed Dante to the same spot Shane and I fought. I was with Shane on one side, and Dante was with Joe on the other side.

"Are you ready?" I asked Shane.

His tail twitched nervously, "Yeah. I can do this," he said with some confidence. He pulled out both hit tomahawks and had them at his sides.

"You guys ready?" Joe called over to us.

"Yep," I replied, "good luck buddy," I said to Shane and I moved to the edge of the area and met Dante.

"You need to analyze them well, Luke. You are the leader and you need to know their strengths and weaknesses," Dante explained.

"Got it," I replied.

"And...Begin!" Dante called, starting the match.

Joe pulled out a katana and advanced towards Shane slowly; Shane copied his movements. Once they were close enough, they started circling each other. Finally, Shane got impatient and attacked first. He went for the legs, but Joe jumped over him, landing perfectly, still facing Shane. Joe took a swing at Shane. Shane turned around last second and rolled away, quickly getting back up.

Joe advanced again and feigned a slash and swung at his legs. Shane backed up and tripped on his own feet. He rolled backward and got up. Joe stood there defensively; he was letting Shane attack.

Shane sent his tomahawks down towards Joe, but he blocked it with his katana; tomahawk and sword stuck together. Shane pulled really hard and Joe let go of his sword. He quickly reacted by kicking Shane in the gut. Shane fell back, gasping for air. Joe picked up his sword and swung again. Swinging at Shane. Shane dodged the attacks.

"Have you noticed anything so far?" Dante asked me. I looked over to him and shook my head. "I'll tell you one: Joseph looks where he's going to swing. If you're fast enough, then you can block all attacks he throws at you." I nodded and looked back to the battle. It seems like Shane took the upperhand.

Shane had one tomahawk locked with Joe's sword and swung the other one at him. Joe unlocked swords and spun to get away; then, he went for the offence. He skillfully place good blows, but Shane's agility was too fast for Joe. Joe and Shane kept up with this until Shane backed up into the tree. Joe swung one more time. Shane tried to duck, but Joe feigned that swing and hit low, cutting Shane.

I don't know how hard he hit, but Shane howled in pain, slashing Joe's leg as he fell. "Son of a bitch," I heard Shane say. "I give."

I ran up to Shane to see that his arm was bleeding badly. There was a big gash on his lower arm. I tore part of his shirt off and wrapped it around his wound. Joe just stood there, surprised.

Shane was whimpering from the pain, "It's okay Shane. You'll be fine."

"Thanks, Luke." I could see that there was more than pain in his eyes: there was anger. "Kick his ass," he said.

I nodded, "Okay." Dante came over and helped me get Shane standing.

"I'm so sorry," Joe apologized. Shane just growled.

"I'm going to finish the spar," I declared to Joe and Dante, "and finish this fight for Shane."

Joe nodded, "Fair enough."

We both went to our respective ends of the opening. "I don't want you to go easy on me just because of my scratches from yesterday," I said to Joe. My injuries weren't hurting that bad. I was able to fight.

Joe and I got our respective sides. "Alright," Dante started, "begin in 3...2...1...GO!"

Joe started with the same approach as he did with Shane: slowly advancing. So just like Shane, I copied him.

Joe and I attacked at the same time, I started pushing all my weight into the two clashing swords. I was getting the upperhand. Joe reeled back and I almost lost my balance. I turned around in time to block his next attack. I push forward again, but this time I had more control over it. Joe pulled back again, but I was prepared. As he tried to get to my side, I turned with him.

Surprised that I countered his counter, he took a few steps back. I decided to take the initiative and attack first. I moved towards him and feigned going for the legs, then I brought my sword up and around to do a middle attack. Joe quickly sidestepped the attack and swung back at me. I pushed his sword back with my special gloves and tried to thrust him. He backed up enough where I only got part of his fur.

"Nice try," I heard him say as he pulled back a few steps. After that, he took one long step and stepped on my foot and swung his sword. I instinctively pulled back, but with him stepping on my foot, I fell to the ground.

Joe went for another attack, but I saw where his eyes were looking and took that to my advantage. He tried to go for my stomach but I caught his sword and kicked him back. I didn't get much momentum though, and he fell back a few steps. I gave me little time to recover, but I had to make do.

I got up, panting. You'd think after all that endurance training with grandpa would help me in combat. I guess I have to work on that.

After I got up, I had to sidestep an attack. I sluggishly attempted to get an attack off at Joe, but I was getting tired. I need to finish this battle soon if I want to win.

Joe easily dodged my attack and swung at me. I was able to dodge it by a little bit. I felt it rub my thick pelt. I backed up a few feet, then charged, hoping this was going to be my last attack.

Joe blocked my sword, but I was still going full force at him. I swiftly stepped on his foot and pushed him with all my weight. We were both on the ground, I was on top of him. Joe dropped his sword when I made him fall, while my sword was pointed right at his muzzle. He put his hands up and said, "I surrender."

I smiled and got off him. "Good game," I said as I helped him up.

"Well good job you two," Dante said as he and Shane walked walked up to us. Shane still didn't look happy, but Dante was smiling. "Let's go home."

**So there's chapter 16. Three battles in two chapters. Impressive! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I have special news today! I need some OC's and I'm asking you guys to give me some. Just PM me their descriptions of what they look like and a little bit of background and they might be in my story soon. (They have to be anthro wolves.) See you guys next time!**


	17. Chapter 17: On the Road Again

**Here's chapter seventeen guys! This is your last chance to submit a character that will appear in the next chapter or two, but you may send me some afterwards that will be in later in the story. Another thing: I put in two minor Easter eggs within the chapter; see if you can spot them. I will say what they were in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

"Bye mom," Joe said as he hugged his mom, who was crying on his shoulder, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know you will, honey," she replied. "You be good. Stay safe."

"I will."

Joe turned to the rest of his family. He already said his goodbyes to them. Robert was crying also. "I'll see you all later," he said to his family.

"We are very proud of you, son," Joe's dad said. Dante nodded.

"Tell Winston and Nickolai I said 'hi'," Dante told me.

"I will," I responded. I then turned to Joe and Shane and asked, "Are we ready?"

Joe sighed, "I think so." He turned back to his family, "I'll be back. I promise."

"We know you will," Dante said, "we believe in you."

Shane and I walked out the door first, followed by Joe. "So," Joe started, "Where are we going?"

"La Mauricie National Park; it's in Quebec," I answered, "We're looking for someone with the last name of Stewart."

"Quebec! That will take forever to get to," Joe exclaimed.

"Don't worry," I said to him, "we have a method of fast travel."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say it's not us three traveling."

We walked in the woods for a while now. We were getting close to the campsite Jordan and Leo are at. I still haven't told Joe that we were going to humans to get transportation because I'm afraid he'll back out.

"Guys, we're back!" Shane called out. We got through the trees and were back in the opening that we set up camp at. Leo and Jordan were playing cards by the fire pit.

I looked over to Joe. To say he was shocked was an understatement. I could also smell a bit of fear on him. I felt the same when I first met a human, so I can't judge. I saw Shane smiling a mischievous smile; I think he's still holding a grudge against Joe for cutting him. He was definitely enjoying this.

"Hi," Leo greeted. He got up from his game and walked up to us, "Pleased to meet-" He was cut off with Joe putting his katana up to Leo's throat.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, pulling Joe's sword down since I had the claws on. "Joe," I turned to him, "They aren't the enemy, far from it."

Joe looked to Leo, then at me, "Why the hell are you with humans? They're dangerous."

"Don't talk crap about Leo and Jordan," Shane intervened.

"Calm down," I ordered both of them. "Leo and his family took care of Shane when his parents died when Shane was just a pup," I explained to Joe. "They gave us a ride from Yellowstone all the way to here, and they will help us get to the next location."

It was silent for a minute before Joe broke it with a sigh, "Sorry," he apologized, "that was uncalled for." He put his hand out, "Pleased to meet you." Joe and Leo shook hands.

"It's fine. I understand," Leo responded. "We already had breakfast, what about you guys?"

"Yeah, we had some before we left Joe's house. Are we ready to go?" I asked.

"Almost," Jordan replied. He looked to Shane and saw the cut on his shoulder and the hole in his shirt, "What happened to your shoulder?" Shane just growled.

"I cut him in a spar," Joe said, embarrassed.

Jordan inspected the wound, "Looks pretty deep," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Shane muttered.

I could feel the tenseness rise in the air, so I decided to change the subject. "Let's finish packing so we can go to La Mauricie National Park and get the next member. It's the last one."

"Yeah," Leo said, seeing that I was trying to distract the two.

We finished packing without a problem. We stored some firewood, packed up some deer for the trip, and we put all of Joe's stuff in the van. Joe and Leo made some small talk; at least Joe is trusting Leo and Jordan mostly now.

The road trip was long to La Mauricie National Park, but it's going to be worse getting back to my home. We have to travel across almost all of Canada, but then I'll get to see my family again! We stopped at North Bay in Ontario after about nine hours into driving; we needed a break. We stopped in the forest so we could get out.

"Ugh," Shane said, stretching, "my legs are so stiff. I hate long road trips."

"I couldn't agree more," I agreed. Joe nodded in agreement. "So what are we having to eat?" I asked Leo.

Leo thought about it for a moment, "Jordan and I will head into town and buy some food. Will you guys be fine here?"

"Yes," I replied, "don't be too long."

"We won't. No fighting boys," Leo said to Shane and Joe.

"I'll make sure they won't," I said before any of them could reply. "Bye!" I said as they drove off.

"What should we do?" Joe asked, "They left with all the stuff."

"We could spar," Shane muttered.

"Leo said no fighting, Shane," I told him, "and why are you still pissed at Joe?"

Shane just walked out into the forest.

Joe was about to go after him, but I held him back. "Leave him be. He'll blow off some steam and come back."

Joe sighed, "I don't see why he's still mad. Don't get me wrong, I would be mad if I was in his position, but I would've gotten over it by now."

"I guess Shane holds grudges. I've only known him for about two weeks, so I don't know much about him."

"Okay," Joe replied, "So, I was never informed much about why we reformed the team. Grandpa told me his story, but never really explained what we were supposed to do. If you're going to be the team leader, your grandpa must've told you."

"He said that he senses another war coming, and he wants us stop it. He doesn't want history to repeat itself. So after we pick up our last member, we're going back to my home and my grandpa will train us. Then we are headed of to SIberia," I explained.

"Good to know," he replied. It was silent for a minute, "What's your home like?"

"Similar to your's," I answered, "I live up in Jasper in Canada. A family of seven, counting me. There's my grandpa; mom; dad; my oldest brother, Ian; and my twin brother and sister, Adam and Sarah. I'm the youngest."

"That's a lot of anthros in one house."

"You get used to it," I replied, "and soon there will be three more in the house."

"Wow," Joe said.

We talked until Leo and Jordan came back with food. The bought a lot of steaks that we could cook over the fire. Shane came back to the smell of food. He seemed calmer than earlier, but he still wouldn't talk to Joe. He'll accept him soon enough. The sun began to set by the time we were done eating.

"Alright, time to get going again," Leo said as he stood up.

"What," Shane complained, "I thought we were going to spend the night here."

"Nope. You guys can sleep on the road." Leo turned to me, "What park are we going to?"

"La Mauricie National Park," I answered.

"Okay. I'll get us there, you guys don't have to worry. Just get some rest."

We packed up the little that we had out and started traveling again. It didn't take us too long to fall asleep. Shane was the first one out. We were beginning to run out of room in the back, so Shane had to lean on me. I was the next to fall asleep, and I don't know when Joe fell asleep.

Morning came with a passion: the bright sun was right in my face. I groaned and slowly got up. Shane plopped onto the seat. I looked out the window; there was frost on the ground. It's going to be a cold morning. I looked to the front where Leo and Jordan sit, they weren't there. There only was a letter on the driver's seat. _Good morning guys, _it read, _Jordan and I went out to the city to check it out. You can leave to look for the last member, just lock the doors. Leo._

After reading the note, I heard Shane and Joe waking up. "Have you ever been told that you are a fantastic pillow?" Shane asked me.

"No," I said embarrassed. I decided to switch topic, "Jordan and Leo are out in the city. They said to make sure to lock the doors, then we can go."

"Okay," Shane said. He opened a box and pulled out some meat. "Here," he said to me, handing me a slab. Joe got up and got his own. After breakfast, we packed what we needed for the trip. I grabbed by sword and the claws, while Shane grabbed both his tomahawks. I looked to Joe to see him open a briefcase he brought from his home; it was full of many different kinds of swords. My jaw dropped when I saw all the swords.

"What," Joe said, "I was trained in many different kind of sword arts, but I'm going to only bring my katana." He pulled out his katana and slung it over his back.

"Alright," I said, shaking my head, "Let's find the last anthro we need!"

We left the van and split off in different directions trying to catch a scent of wolf or anthro. "I found something!" I heard Shane call. Man he has a good nose. We met back up at the van. Joe and I looked to Shane. "Follow me."

We followed him as he continued tracking. Shane used his nose, Joe used his eyes, and I used my ears. I could hear nothing significant, just some squirrels or rabbits and footsteps. Wait a minute...footsteps? I listened closer: they were a lot quieter than the average human.

"Guys," I whispered, "I hear footsteps." They stopped and looked all around.

Shane stuck his muzzle in the air and opened his mouth, getting the most scents that he could. "I smell wolf, human, metal, and gunpowder."

"Wha-" Joe was interrupted.

"Stop right where you are," a powerful voice said to my right. There was an anthro in what I think is a police uniform. He had a gun in his hand, "Put you hands where I can see them."

All three of us put our hands in the air. I hate guns.

The anthro pulled out a radio and talked into it, "This is Monte. I have spotted three rogue anthros in sector NW01. Requesting backup."

"Roger that," a voice came from the other end of the radio, "I'm sending you Chas and Myrtle."

"Roger," the anthro said. He then turned to us, "Names and business," he stated.

"Luke Wolfe, Shane Fitzgerald-Long, and Joseph Reddy," I stated.

"Wolfe?" he questioned, "Are you at all related to Nikolai Wolfe?"

"That's my grandpa." How does he know my grandpa?

The anthro turned back to the radio, "This is Monte again; code 4. I repeat: code 4." He turned to us, "Come with me." We followed the anthro until he led us to a hummer. "Get in," he ordered.

"Where are we-"

"Did I say you could talk, Wolfe?" I shook my head.

We got into the hummer and we started driving off. Outside the tinted windows, I saw two other hummers, one on each side. We traveled for a while in the forest. I saw a sign that said we were leaving La Mauricie National Park. Where are we going?

The hummer stopped after a while. We looked out the front window to see a huge fortress ahead of us. The anthro talked on the radio for the door to open, and it did. When we got in, I could see a lot of anthros walking around. I've never seen so many in one place before; it was like a small town.

The anthro turned back to us and said, "Welcome to Fort Stewart."

**It's the final location! Soon the new ninja team will be formed. I hope you enjoyed this somewhat short chapter. Did you find the Easter eggs within the chapter. Like I said earlier: I will say them in the next chapter. They have no significance to the plot, but I thought it would be fun to put some in. Thank you for reading. A review is appreciated, and don't forget to submit a character if you want one in the story. See you next time!**


	18. Chapter 18: Welcome to Fort Stewart

Hi guys! I'm back! First things first: the two easter eggs of the last chapter was "sector NW01", which represents Ninja Wolf Book 1; and the other one was "code 4" because the ninja team will be a team of four. These don't affect the story, but thought they were fun. One last thing: this story has hit over 1000 views. I would like to say thank you guys for all the support; it really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I looked out the window of the hummer in awe. There's a whole civilization of anthros in the Americas still. I thought that grandpa said that all anthros left after the war, but I guess not. Shane and Joe were also looking out the window.

"Fort Stewart?" I asked.

"Yes," said the guard, "founded after the war by Winston Stewart. This place used to be a prison the anthros would use, but it was abandoned and forgotten after the anthros fled to Siberia. About fifty people stayed to live here; we have guards set up all around here to make sure no human finds us."

Winston Stewart is one of the old ninja! Grandpa never told me that he created a little town here.

"Aren't we looking for a Stewart?" Shane asked me.

"Yes," I answered. I turned to the guard who was driving, "We wish to speak with Winston Stewart," I told him.

"That's where we are heading," he said. "He's been waiting for your arrival. He told all his guards that if an outsider with the last name of Wolfe comes, bring them straight to him."

"Okay."

We drove for a little more. The inside of this place is much bigger than I thought. I looked out the front window to see the biggest building in the town. I'm assuming that's where we're going.

The guard stopped in front of the building, "Let's go," he ordered us. We got out of the hummer and followed him. There were two guards at the entrance, the guard taking us nodded to them and opened the door. The room was huge: the first thing you could see is a throne at the other side with a white anthro sitting on it; he looked like a king. "Alpha Stewart. We have some visitors."

The guard lined us up so he could look at us. I inspected the anthro further: some of his fur was graying with age, yet his eyes were full with energy. He hopped out of his throne and asked, "Code 4?"

"Affirmative," the guard replied.

"Fantastic," he said with joy, "You are dismissed." The guard left the room.

Winston walked right up to us, still inspecting us. "You look just like Nikolai," he said to me, "just fatter." Of course. He turned to Joe, "With the brown pelt, you must be Dante's grandson."

"Yep," Joe nodded.

Lastly, he turned to Shane, "That means your Dakota's grandson. How's that old fool?"

Shane's ears flattened, "He died, with the rest of my family, when I was a pup."

Winston frowned, "He will be missed," he said. "That explains why the human scent on you is stronger," he leaned towards Shane, "Smart thinking not bringing them with you. That would have been ugly. Most anthros don't trust humans, but I know some have good intentions." Winston turned his head to the door to the right. "Honey!" he called, "Nikolai finally decided to reform the team."

An old lady came through the door. "It's about time," she said, with a smile on her face. "Now Hunter can finally leave this little place. He needs to see the world out there." She walked up to us. "They looked just like their grandparents," she claimed.

"Is Hunter going to be the one joining our team?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Winston answered, "he doesn't have the best training, but last time I talked to Nikolai, he said that he would train all of the new team. Am I right?"

"Yeah," I answered, "once we got Hunter, we were going to head to my home and train."

"Fantastic," Winston exclaimed, "You can meet him after we get you set up in your rooms."

"Rooms?" Shane asked.

"Why yes, of course," Winston's wife said, "You are our guests, so you will live in our house as long as you are here."

"Thank you," I said to them.

"Oh anytime. It's been a long time since I've seen Nikolai or any of them. Alice, why don't you show them to their rooms."

"Of course, my dear," Alice said. We followed Alice out the room. She led us into the hallway with a lot of pictures: the first one was Winston, the next one said Winston Jr., and one after that said Winston the third.

"Who are these?" I asked.

Alice turned around, she pointed to the first Winston, "That's my husband," then she pointed to Winston Jr., "that's our son, and he, "she pointed at the third Winston, "is our grandson."

"Oh," I said. I guess their lineage is important.

She led us into a room. It was painted red and had a queen size bed that had white and red covers. "Here we are," she said. She turned to Shane, "This will be your room."

"Cool," Shane said, throwing his backpack by the bed as he jumped onto the bed. "It's so soft," Shane commented.

"Well we want to have our guests comfortable. You two follow me, and I'll take you to your rooms." We followed her.

She led us to the next room; it was set up the same way, but the color scheme was blue and white. "This is yours," Alice said to Joe.

"Thank you," he thanked politely. He set his backpack down and sat on his bed.

"Of course, my dear." She then turned to me, "Follow me." I followed her to the room next door. "Here you go." I thanked her, "Not a problem." It was a green and white room. Once I put my stuff down, she said, "If you want to meet Hunter. He would be in the dance hall."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Anytime, dear. Just ask anyone where the dance hall is and they will point it out. It's Hunter's favorite place."

"Okay. Thanks again."

"Of course, dear. See you at six for dinner: we're having steak tonight."

"We'll be there," I told her. After she walked out of the room, I decided to put my stuff away. I put my sword and the claws away in a drawer so nobody would take it. I looked at myself in a mirror; if we were going to a dance hall, I definitely don't have the right clothes on: a sweatshirt and sweatpants. I don't own any fancy clothes, neither do Shane or Joe from what I know. We are going to look so out of place.

I walked out of my room and entered Joe's. He was organizing the stuff that was in his backpack around the room to make it more homey. He lastly put a picture of him and his family up. "You guys had a camera?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "it's really old, but it still works. Well, if we're going to find Hunter, we better find out where the dance hall is." He must've heard my and Alice's conversation. It wouldn't surprise me.

"Yeah," I agreed. We went to Shane's room to find him playing a video game on his 3DS. "You ready to go?" I asked him.

"Where," he said, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"We're going to the dance hall to find Hunter. Come on."

"Give me a minute," he said. I sighed and decided there was no getting between Shane and his video games, so we waited a few minutes.

"Okay," Shane finally stated as he closed the 3DS, "let's go."

We left the room and went to the main room. Winston wasn't there anymore, so we couldn't ask him. Once we went outside, I stood there in awe: there are so many anthros; it's kind of intimidating, to be honest. There were people talking, sitting and eating, just going on their daily lives. It seems normal. I lived all my life hiding from everything, but there, it felt...secure.

"Hello," someone said as she walked past us.

"Wait," Joe called to her. The she-wolf turned around, "Do you know where the dance hall is?"

"Oh," she said, "You must be the new ones that came from the patrol. Yeah, just keep following this road, you'll run into it. It's the third largest building besides the government building and the church. You can't miss it," she explained.

"Thanks," Joe said.

"No problem."

We kept walking down the road. It was busy everywhere you looked. It's just amazing.

I looked ahead of us and saw a huge white building. Must be the dance hall, I thought to myself. "There it is," I said to Shane and Joe. I could hear the faint sound of music from the outside, but I couldn't pick up the details.

"Let's go," Shane said, sounding excited. A dance hall seemed like a place Shane would go to. I hope Hunter's not a second Shane.

Joe and I followed Shane through the door. A lot of sights, sounds, and smells blew into my face as soon as we opened the door. The room was dim lighted and had wooden floors. There was many anthros dancing in pairs wearing nice suits or dresses; we definitely stood out. That music I heard was violin; it sounded like classical music, but it was faster paced than the average music of that time. There was a lot of smells, and none of them were bad: I smelled sweets and a hint a perfume. It was not bad at all. I looked to the right and saw a table full of sweets and punch; my mouth started watering.

"How are we going to find him?" Joe asked.

"I have no idea. Hey Shane…" I turned to where he was, but he wasn't there. "Where'd he go?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should split up. We can cover more ground then." Before he left me, he said, "Try to have some fun though. It would be good for us, we've been in a lot of stress." Then he left.

Try have fun, eh? I looked back to the food table. "I guess I can check there," I said out loud. I walked on the sidelines of the dance floor to the table: there were a couple getting punch, but they didn't stay too long. I looked at all the options of food; they were all labeled. There was vanilla cake, chocolate cake, cookies, and many more. I've never had cake before, I've only heard of it. Joe did say to have fun, so I grabbed the triple chocolate cake, that sounds good. I took a bite into the cake, and I was in heaven. All the chocolates combining and making the best tasting dessert I've ever had. It was too good to be true.

"Hey," I heard someone say behind me, "try not to eat all the cake, alright tubbs."

I turned around to see a pair of anthros, one male and one female, assumably a couple. The male was pure white and really tall and he was wearing a pink tuxedo, that was different, and the female was also white, but had some black mixed in and was wearing a light blue dress the complemented the pink tuxedo.

"That was so rude, Hunter," the girl said to the guy, stomping her foot. Did she say Hunter, "Apologise to him at once."

The male flattened his ears, "Sorry," he said.

"It's alright," I said, looking to the girl, "I get stuff like that all the time," I then turned to the guy, "Are you Hunter Stewart?" I asked.

His posture straightened, "The one and only!" he had a goofy smiled, "and who might you be?"

I put out my hand, "Luke Wolfe," I said. "You were easier to find than I thought," I commented, more to myself.

He looked puzzled, "You were looking for me?" he asked pointing to himself. He started laughing, now it was my turn to be confused. "Normally I go looking for people," he said, "like Laurel, Stevie, the twins Kimberly and Claire, and Isabella," he listed, counting on his fingers. "Sorry, but I'm straight." What?

"No, I mean searching for you to be part of the ninja wolf team. Your grandpa said you knew about it," I stated.

He just looked at me confused, then the smile grew back on his face and he started laughing again. "Sorry. I thought you were hitting on me," he continued to laugh, then he changed the subject, "I thought that last name sounded familiar. Aren't you the leader or something?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"Your gramps is the Nikolai Wolf?" the girl asked me, "He's like a hero!" A hero?

"Yep," I responded, "He's considered a hero here?" I asked.

"The entire team are heroes here. They're legends!"

Hunter put a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, Jupiter. We're related to one, so why get all fangirly?"

"Because that means the others are still around. That's so awesome."

"You both are related to Winston? I thought you two were a couple," I asked.

"Nope," Jupiter answered, "we're just cousins. Hunty here couldn't get a date as usual, so I decided to dance with him." Hunter's ears flattened in embarrassment.

"Hey," Hunter retaliated, "Kimberly almost said yes."

"Almost."

"Better than you," Hunter bragged.

"I couldn't find any cute guys, okay," she defended herself.

Hunter laughed, "Whatever." He turned back to me, "so is it just you, or are there others?"

"There's others," I answered, "you're actually the last one."

"Cool," Hunter said. "Where's-"

"There you are," I heard Shane say, coming behind Hunter and Jupiter, "Hey Joe! Fatty was over by the desserts. We should've checked there first."

Jupiter grunted, "Is everyone on your team rude?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"Really, Shane, that was uncalled for," Joe said as he appeared out of the crowd.

"Are you surprised," I said to Joe, "Shane's been like this since I met him."

"I know, but…" he didn't really have anything to say.

"Who this?" Shane asked, looking up to meet Hunter eye to eye.

"Hunter," I answered, "It didn't take too long to find him," I pointed out.

"I can see that," Shane said, "You're really tall."

"What's new, and before you ask, the weather is great from up here." He chuckled, Shane laughed with him. Just as I feared: two Shanes.

We talked for a little bit to break the ice. Turns out, he was learning the ancient Roman period of anthros. I guess he really like history, and it turns out so does Joe, because they talked for about an hour about different time periods. They could've went on longer, but Shane changed the subject out of boredom. He said that he has been learning how to use a gladius, well two actually, and that's what slowed down his ninja training. I told him he could use them if he wanted to; he was so happy. A gladius may not be a ninja weapon, but we can adapt.

It seemed like Hunter was going to fit into the team quite well: Joe and Shane really liked him for different reasons, and I didn't hear those two argue once during the party. Maybe Hunter is what will bring them back together. As for me, bad first impression, but I think I can get used to him.

That was chapter 18! I hope you enjoyed. Those who sent me characters, don't worry, they will be in the next chapter. Here's a link to the song during the dance: watch?v=NzCL9uLkQSI

See you next time!


	19. Chapter 19: Problems

Hey guys! Chapter 19 is finally out! Sorry it took a while. I've been busy, but I'm trying my best. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Welcome back Hunter," a guard said as we entered Winston's place.

"Thanks, Don," Hunter replied, "is dinner ready?"

"Yes," Don answered, "your mother finished not to long ago."

"Awesome," Hunter said as he continued walking, "see you later!" He called to Don.

We got into the main room; Winston wasn't on his throne, and the room was empty. We followed Hunter into another room that was assumably the dining room. There was a large table with enough seats to feed at least twenty; it was huge.

"Have a seat," a voice said behind me unexpectedly. I jumped a bit. I turned back to see Winston; he was laughing, "My, you're jumpy."

My heart slowed down after a couple seconds. Normally I can sense when someone is approaching. I guess he was a ninja for a reason. "You're lucky I don't have any of my weapons on me," I told him.

"I'm quite sure I can handle a junior ninja just fine." Did he just call me a junior ninja?

"Junior?" I asked him. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take offence to that.

"Have you had your full training yet?" He asked me.

"I guess not," I answered, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Exactly," Winston said, "Now then, take a seat. I bet you're hungry." As if on cue, my stomach growled. Winston laughed, "Yep, just as I suspected."

We sat down at the large table. I was in between Joe and Shane, while Hunter, Jupiter, and Winston sat on the other side. We were silent until Winston's wife came out with a large plate of, what smelled like, caribou steak. My mouth started watering. "Dinner's here," she said as she put the plate down, "eat up!"

"Thanks honey," Winston thanked, "Where's Junior and Madelyn?" He asked her.

"They're out with the Bekkerings," she answered as she sat down next to Winston, "They told me that they would be back later tonight."

"Okay," Winston responded. He looked to me, "I see you found Hunter. Was he in the dance hall like I said?"

"Yeah," I responded, "he was dancing with Jupiter."

Winston sighed and looked to Hunter, "So you still can't find anybody?" He asked him.

"No," Hunter replied, his ears flattening, "but tomorrow's another day!" This guy has some determination.

I took a bite out of my steak; it was amazing. If there is one thing I can say about this place, it's that the food here is phenomenal! "This is really good," I told Alice.

"Thank you," she replied, "the recipe has been passed down from generation to generation."

We ate in silence for a little while just enjoying the food. Joe was the first one to speak up, "So. How does the government work here? Is it a totalitarianism or a democracy or…"

"Well," Winston started, "we go by pack order. I'm Alpha and my son's Beta. I know it's old fashioned, but we haven't needed to change; everyone seems satisfied with the government."

"Oh," Joe said.

"Yep. So Joe," he changed subject, "how's Dante?"

"He's good, just living out life in the U.S.," he answered.

"I see," Winston answered. He turned to me, "How long are you planning to stay here?" I thought about it and shrugged. We really never planned that out. "Well you can stay as long as you like."

"Oh, he'll stay as long as we have cake," Hunter joked, "he was really enjoying that at the party." I blushed a bit.

Winston laughed, "Alice makes fantastic cakes, don't worry boy," he said to me, then turned to Shane, "Dakota was just like that, too!" Grandpa did mention that Dakota was heavyset, so I guess that would make sense.

"Really," Shane laughed.

"Oh yes," Winston answered, "your grandpa was quite the pig; he got rid of any tensions that our group had."

"Tensions?" I asked. Just like Joe and Shane.

"Yeah," Winston replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "Dante and I didn't get along too much. He said that I was too laid back for him."

"That sounds like grandpa," Joe said.

"So how did you solve the problems?" I asked.

"Well they came up once in awhile. Normally a mission would break it up or Dakota would have eased it," he told me. "Why?"

"No reason," I said, looking to Joe and Shane.

"You just have to be mature about it," Winston continued, "That was my problem. But I've grown out of that mostly."

We finished eating dinner and had dessert which was ice cream. I've never had that before, but it was definitely not the last time I'll have it. I'm enjoying trying out new foods; we were so limited back at home. We went to their living room and he told us some stories of "the old days" and how he met his wife. He really was a party animal.

"When the team split up," he continued his story, "Nikolai and I decided to keep in touch, so when I started up this colony, I would send messengers over to Nikolai with letter." Winston looked to me, "He said a lot about you. Last I heard from him is that you started your training and how he had you work on your endurance. But that was a month ago, so I knew you would come here eventually."

"You and my grandpa still talk together?" I asked, "He never told me about that."

"Nikolai was one to keep secrets," Winston sighed, "he'd do it thinking that he was protecting someone, but sometimes it hurt more than it helped."

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"I won't go into detail," Winston stated, "too personal." I wonder what it was, but I won't pressure him, and luckily, neither did the others.

"I also keep in touch with Lupinia, the main location of anthros in Siberia." Winston told us.

"Really?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yep, that's why Nikolai knew he needed to train someone soon. The government is becoming very corrupt, and something is going on. We're not sure what it is, but that's where you come in," he looked at all four of us. "You need to find out what's going on and put an end to it, so after learning some skills from Nikolai, you will go and investigate."

"Cool!" Shane exclaimed, "We're like a special force of a secret service!"

"Yep," Winston agreed, "Again, as I said earlier: you can stay here as long as you like. Just let me know."

I was about to say something, but I was interrupted when two anthros, a male and a female, came through the door. The female was pure white like Hunter and the male was tan. "Hello dad," the male greeted; he then turned to us, "Who are these three? I don't recognize them."

The female was smelling the air, "And they don't smell like they are from here."

"We have visitors," Winston said happily. He stood up and walked to us. "This is Luke Wolfe, grandson of Nikolai Wolfe..."

"You mean your old friend?" the male asked, "The ninja?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "They're finally reforming the team!"

Both of their eyes widened, "No way they are taking our Hunter!" the female exclaimed. So they must be Hunter's parents.

"Of course they are," Winston stated.

"Yeah," Hunter said as he stood up. "I want to got with them," he told his parents.

"Well you're not," his dad stated firmly, a slight growl in his voice. He then looked at Winston, "He's not going to leave. We've already discussed this."

"They need Hunter," Winston said, "You don't want Winston III to go, so Hunter will."

"But it's dangerous out there," his mother said worriedly, "He's not even properly trained."

"That's why I'm sending him with these three," Winston explained. "They're going back to Nikolai to get better training. These three will keep him safe."

"I don't need any protection," Hunter growled. "I can handle myself, and with Nikolai's training, I'll be even safer."

"No," his mother rejected, "humans are too dangerous." There were tears in her eyes, "I want my baby safe." She walked out of the room, his father following her. He glared at me before he left.

Winston heaved a big sigh. "Sorry about that boys. Junior and Madelyn can be overprotective. I should've never told them my war stories. They think humans are out to get us, even though it was the anthros that attacked the humans." He walked to the door, but before he walked through, he turned and looked at Hunter, "I'm going to talk to them. You want to show them around the place?"

Hunter sighed, "Sure."

Hunter went to change out of his tuxedo, then he led us out of the building. It was obvious that he was known pretty well here considering that almost everyone he passed by greeted him. He showed us the church, the dance hall, the barracks, the market, and lastly, the sparring arena in the center of town. We passed that on the way to the hall, I just didn't know it was a sparring arena. Now that I've been around the place, it doesn't seem that big, I've just never been in a town of any sort beside where Jordan and Shane live.

"That's about it," Hunter said, "Do you guys want to do something?"

I was thinking when Joe said something, "We should check in with Leo and Jordan. They might be worried if we stay out too long."

"Good idea," I told him, "and Hunter can meet them too."

"Uh," Shane said, "do you think his parents would like that?"

Hunter scoffed, "I don't care. What they don't know won't hurt them. Can we bring Jupiter with us? She's never been outside the walls before."

"Of course," Joe said before I could say anything. "The more the merrier!"

"Can we even take the front gate?" I asked. "I mean, if your parents don't want you to go out, wouldn't the guards know that."

"Relax," Hunter said, "Wallis a guarding the front gate. I've memorized the guard shifts; he'll let us through."

"Wallis?" Shane asked.

"Yeah," Hunter answered, "Wallis Monte. He's the one who found you guys in the woods. He's like my best friend, besides Anthony, but I'll introduce you to him later."

We got to the gate, and just as Hunter told us, Wallis was guarding the front gate.

"Hey Wallis," Hunter greeted, doing some weird handshake.

"Sup," he said back.

"Nothin' much. These three were going to show Jupiter and I around the woods and show us their hideout."

"Nothin' wrong with that," he replied. He opened the gate, "Have fun."

"Oh we will," Hunter told him.

We walked for a few moments in silence. "That was easy," Shane pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you are close with the guards," Hunter explained.

"I don't really like Wallis," Jupiter put in her thoughts.

"Why not?" Joe asked, who was walking next to her.

"Yeah," Shane agreed, "He seems like a chill guy."

"That's just it," she continued, "He's not responsible, that and he hit on me like ten times; it gets annoying."

Hunter laughed, "That sounds like Wallis. He does that to everyone; you know that."

"I know," she replied, "but I don't like it."

We continued to head for Jordan and Leo's camp. It was a long walk. Last time, we had a ride all the way to Fort Stewart, but we don't have that luxury this time. We walked for a while, and we made some conversation. Joe mainly talked to Jupiter while Shane, Hunter and I talked. I think Joe has a crush on Jupiter, but I'm not sure. I'll ask him later.

It took us some time, but we finally made near the camp. "Hey," I said, interrupting the conversations, "we're almost there."

"Awesome!" Hunter exclaimed.

We walked for another minute until I could see the clearing. I could hear Jordan and Leo talking.

"Got any threes?" Jordan asked.

"Nope. Go fish," Leo responded. I wonder what they're doing.

"We're back!" Shane called out to them as we went into the opening.

Jordan and Leo turned their heads. "Hey," Jordan greeted.

Leo looked to Hunter and Jupiter, "Who are your friends?"

I looked to Hunter and Jupiter, they had wide eyes. Jupiter instinctively went slightly behind Hunter. I don't think they've ever met a human before, let alone two.

"This is Hunter and Jupiter," I explained, "Hunter's the one we were looking for. Jupiter is his cousin."

Leo got up and walked up to Hunter. He had to look up to be eye to eye with Hunter. He's really tall. "Hello, Hunter. I'm Leo and that's Jordan, my nephew." He put his hand out. Hunter shook his hand. "Wow! You're tall."

Hunter laughed, "I get that a lot. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." He then turned to Jupiter, "Hello there," he pulled his hand out, "You must be Jupiter, them. What a pretty name." She moved away from Hunter and shook his hand.

"Thank you," she giggled.

Leo turned back to me. "Did you guys eat yet?"

"Yep," I answered. "There's a whole civilization there; it's amazing!"

"Cool," Leo stated. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Go?" Joe asked.

"Isn't that why you brought them here," he gestured to Hunter and Jupiter.

"No," I answered. "I just wanted you to meet Hunter, and Jupiter wanted to come."

"Oh," Leo said.

"That, and there's a small problem," Shane said.

"Which is?"

"My parents don't want me to go," Hunter answered. "My grandparents want to me to go, but my parents don't." His ears flattened.

"Oh," Leo said, "I see. Well, we should get going soon, so you need to find a way out."

"I know," Hunter replied. "We just need a way to convince them."

"This sucks," Shane said, disappointed.

"Yeah," Jupiter said.

Well that killed the mood. We need to find a way to convince Hunter's parents to let him go, or there will be problems.

Looks like there are problems for the gang. Let's hope they can find a way to solve their problem. I am still open for names by anyone who wants to be in the story. Just PM me. I'll see you next time!


	20. Chapter 20: Help

**Hi guys! It's been awhile since I last posted. Sorry about that, but school has been busy, and grades are priority. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"We'll be back later," I told Leo and Jordan. We were going to head back to Fort Stewart and see if we can convince Hunter's parents to let him come with us. If worse comes to worse, we could just sneak out, but that doesn't seem right, and Hunter agrees.

"Okay, see you then. Good luck," Leo said as we left. We couldn't really stay that long because we wanted to make sure Hunter's parents don't get suspicious.

We walked through the forest for a while before Jupiter broke the silence. "So how are we going to convince mom and dad to let us go?" she asked.

"Us?" Shane asked. "I thought we were going to only take Hunter." Everyone turned to me.

"Uh…" I said, not sure what to say. "We didn't plan to take you along," I rubbed the back of my neck. Her tail drooped. "That doesn't mean 'no'," I said quickly, "it's just unexpected." I turned to Joe, "What do you think?"

Joe looked at me, surprised, looking at Jupiter shyly, "I...I think we should think about it. Right now we need to find a way to convince their parents."

"I agree," Hunter interjected. "That should be our top priority."

"Do you have any ideas?" I asked him.

Hunter walked silently, thinking. "If we convince them that letting me leave would be good for the greater good of anthros; it might work."

Jupiter turned to Hunter, "I don't know Hunter. They seem to care more for you than the greater good."

"Well the we have to change that."

"Have you guys even tried talking to them?" I asked. "Winston was kind of blunt about it. I don't even think he thought it through."

"You're right," Hunter said, "grandpa's not the brightest bulb in the box."

"It's worth a shot," I said. I could tell our hopes were rising, except for Joe.

"That seems too easy," Joe stated, "We should have a plan B just in case."

It went silent again. "Oh!" Shane exclaimed, "What if we prove to them that not all humans are bad. It worked with Luke when he first met Jordan and the others."

"What are you getting at, Shane?" Joe asked.

"We can introduce them to Jordan and Leo!" he exclaimed, sounding proud of himself, like a pup catching a butterfly.

"That sounds a bit dangerous for Jordan and Leo. What if Hunter's parents attack them?" Joe asked.

"Pfft," Hunter scoffed, "My parents are afraid of everything that isn't an anthro. They'll be too scared to do anything."

"Then it could work," I said. "We can try it if talking to them doesn't work, but we'll have to be careful with it. I'd prefer having nobody get hurt."

"Yeah," Joe agreed, "that would not be good."

"Then it's settled, we'll try to convince your parents, and if that doesn't work, then we can try plan B."

"Sounds good to me," Hunter stated.

We walked back to Fort Stewart, Shane and I were talking to Hunter while Joe was talking to Jupiter a few feet behind us. He's really taking an interest into her. Anyway, we made it back to the fort and Wallis was still guarding the entrance. He opened the gate for us and, Hunter talked to him for a bit then we were on our way to Hunter's place.

"Hello!" Hunter called as we went inside the huge home. It was silent when we came in, so anyone would hear us in here without a doubt.

"I'm in here!" we heard a voice call back. I think it was his mother. We followed the voice into the living room where she was dusting the coffee table by the couch. "Hello Hunter," she greeted cheerfully.

"Mom," Hunter started, "we need to talk."

Her smile went away and she sighed. "We already talked about this. You're not leaving."

"Name three good reasons," Jupiter interjected.

"One," she raised a finger, "the world is crawling with humans. Two," she put up another finger, "you're only seventeen; you're too young. And three," she put up a third finger, "look at your 'friends' that came here. They walk around with weapons!" Maybe it wasn't the best idea to grab our weapons. "It's too dangerous out there. I want you to stay safe. I don't care what Winston says, you're staying here."

Hunter sighed, "Mom, I understand that you're worried about me, but I want to be independent and leave. Gramps thinks that I should go out and explore the world with these three. It is our goal to make sure to protect those who can't protect themselves. Isn't that what you want?"

"When I said that all those years ago, I meant to protect Fort Stewart, maybe become a guard. Not throw yourself in immediate danger. It's safer here."

"You're just being selfish!" Hunter exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "You just care about your people and not those of our kind out there who are also struggling. We are about protecting all anthros, not just here. That's why Luke, Shane, and Joe are here."

Hunter's mom's eyes started to water. "I just want my son safe!" she howled. Shortly after, Hunter's father came in.

"What's going on here?" he snarled. Our eyes locked, and he started growling. "Hunter," he started, still looking at me with fury in his eyes, "take your friends out of here. Your mother and I need to talk."

It was silent for a quick second until Hunter finally put his head down and replied, "Yes father." We followed him out the door. Hunter went into his room and shortly came out with his two gladius. We still didn't say anything; we just followed him.

He led us to the sparring ring in the middle of town. There were a few anthros sitting on the wall that surrounded the pit of sand that was the sparring area. "Wanna spar?" he asked, still not sounding happy.

"Sure," I replied. I turned to the others, "Who wants to fight?" I asked them.

"I will," Shane replied. "We both dual wield, so it will be good practice."

"Okay. I will judge. Joe and Jupiter, why don't you two go tell Leo and Jordan that we might be here for a few more days."

"Okay," Jupiter said, she grabbed Joe's arm and pulled him along. "Come on Joe, let's go!" It wasn't too long till they disappeared out of sight.

Hunter sighed, "Thank you Luke for letting Jupiter come with us to meet Leo and Jordan. She's always wanted to see the outside world, but mom and dad wouldn't let her. She needed it. I just wish mom and dad could see that."

"Of course. Always happy to help!" I chimed.

"So," Shane said, "when are we doing plan B?"

"Let's let them cool down," Hunter told him. "Maybe we'll try tomorrow."

"Okay," Shane responded. "Are you ready to fight?"

"Yeah!" Hunter exclaimed, sounding like his usual self.

Both Shane and Hunter got onto a side of the arena. A few people walking by took interest of the upcoming match and stopped what they were doing. We had about a crowd of twenty stopping to watch. "Alright!" I said, initiating the battle, "3...2...1...Begin!"

Shane ran to his right, trying to get behind Hunter, but Hunter obviously turned around to meet him. He crossed his gladii to capture one of Shane's tomahawks, but he forgot about the second one. Shane hit Hunter with the back of the tomahawk as to not inflict too much damage.

Hunter fell back, startled to already be hit so early into the match. Shane raised both his tomahawks in the preparing for another attack, but they only hit sand as Hunter dodged at the last second. This gave Hunter the time to strike.

Hunter spun as he tried to slash Shane, but Shane was too quick and rolled away, throwing up some sand. Hunter recovered quickly; I could see it in his eyes that he had formulated a good plan.

When Shane got up, he was greeted with sand one of his eyes. He yelped in surprise. "What the…" Shane jumped back a few feet to gain some distance between him and Hunter. Shane looked at me with his one eye as if he was asking me if that was legal in a spar. I shrugged. I honestly didn't know; I feel like using the environment was a smart tactic, so I allowed it.

Shane growled and took fighting position once again. Hunter went at him, and Shane blocked two attacks even though he could only see with one eye. Impressive.

Shane took the offensive again, getting another hit in on Hunter's shoulder. If Hunter keeps taking beatings like this, he's surely going to lose. He better make a recovery.

Hunter was able to block some blows from Shane, but he was beginning to tire. As Winston said: he hasn't had much training, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he would lose.

Shane hit Hunter with the blunt ends of his tomahawk to the shin, and Hunter fell. Shane put a tomahawk to Hunter's neck and held it there.

"I...give," Hunter panted.

Shane just smirked then pulled his tomahawks away, taking a few steps back. "GG," he said as he walked towards me.

I heard clapping coming from the small crowd that formed during the fight. They looked surprised to see Hunter fall. After all, he is the grandson of a legend. I looked over to Hunter, his ears were flattened, disappointed. I walked up to him and pulled my hand out. He grabbed it and I pulled him up. He may be tall, but he is pretty light. He flinched as he stood up.

"Good fight," I told him.

"But I lost," Hunter said disappointed.

"That's because Shane has more experience than you," a voice said behind me. I turned around to see Winston, his arms were crossed, and he had a smile on his face. "You did great," he reassured Hunter. "You used good strategies, especially with the sand, but he has more training. You can't win every battle."

"I guess," Hunter said. "Thanks gramps."

The next morning came and we just finished having breakfast. We had bacon and eggs. They were pretty good. It seems that Hunter's parents calmed down, so we agreed to try plan B.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Mrs. Stewart," I thanked her after we had breakfast.

"You're welcome," she responded.

"Hey, mom and dad?" Hunter started, both of his parents looked to him. "My friends and I want to show you something." Here we go; plan B is a go.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" his mom asked.

"Just follow us. Trust me."

Both of his parents looked at eachother, confused on what he was talking about. His dad finally said something, "Okay son, we trust you. As long as it doesn't have anything to do you going off with them." He gestured towards us.

"Don't worry, it's not," he lied, kind of. More like introducing them to a few new faces.

We left their house and walked to the gate. They questioned us on where we were going, and we told them it was out in the woods. They didn't seem too pleased to hear that Jupiter and Hunter left without permission, but hey didn't say much about it; they just kept following us along.

It was around ten, so I'm assuming Jordan and Leo will be up by now. My theory was correct when I heard talking. It was Jordan's voice. Let's hope this plan will work.

We went through the clearing and saw Jordan and leo sitting by the van, eating breakfast. When they saw me, the got up to greet us.

"Hey guys!" Leo greeted us. Shortly after, Hunter's parents came out into the clearing, only to see two humans. Leo turned to them when he heard them arrive. Hunter's mom hid behind her mate when he looked. I guess Hunter was right, they would be scared. I can't blame them, I was too, but I was tranqed and tied up. "Who's-"

Out of nowhere, Hunter's dad lunged towards Leo, claws out. Instinctively, I went to stop him, only to feel pain on my face and muzzle. I closed my eyes and yelped in pain, shortly after, I felt something wet on my muzzle. I opened my eyes to see Shane and Joe holding Hunter's dad back. Leo and Jordan were a good few feet back.

I put a hand on my muzzle then looked at it. Just as I suspected: blood.

"Dad!" I heard Hunter yell furiously. He was standing by his mom, same with Jupiter.

Seeing that my team had that situation under control, I turned to Leo and Jordan. Their eyes were wide and they looked terrified. "Sorry," I deeply apologized to them, "I did not think this would happen. Are you two alright?"

Leo nodded, shortly followed by, "Yes. What about you. Your muzzle is bleeding."

I could feel the pain build up in my muzzle. I could tell it was a deep cut. The cut in the leg from Shane when we were at Joe's place was like a paper cut compared to this. Blood was pouring out pretty fast. Hunter's dad may not be a fighter, but he sure hits like one.

I looked back to the others. Hunter was yelling at his parents, Joe and Shane standing next to him. It seems like they have that situation under control, so I decided to worry more about my muzzle.

"I've been better," I said to him. Now that my short burst of adrenaline was done, it began to hurt just to talk. "I need something for my muzzle."

"I'm on it," Jordan said as he went into the truck. He shortly came back out with gauze. "This is the best thing we got," he explained. "You might not be able to talk for a while." I didn't mind; it hurt to talk anyway.

"Take him into the van. It'll be easier in there. Joe can take care of the situation out here." The last part was directed towards to me.

I followed Jordan into the van, my hand on my muzzle again. When we got in there, he washed up my muzzle and hand with a bucket and a few water bottles, then he bandaged up my muzzle. I burned when he put it on, but I know the pressure was good for it, so I held back as many whimpers as I could. When all of that was done, Shane came in, telling me that everything out there was under control. I nodded; it was the best thing I could do.

Later that night, I sat on the chair in the van. Joe and Shane went back with Hunter. I decided not to go with them. _How could we have been so stupid! _I thought to myself. I should've known that was a bad plan from the beginning. Now Hunter may never leave with us.

Jordan taught me more music theory since I couldn't do anything else. My muzzle still hurt, but it was more bearable, but it still hurt a lot. I wonder what Shane and Joe were doing? I fell asleep while learning about time signatures.

In the morning we had to replace my gauze. Taking it off hurt on it's own, a lot more than putting more on. Leo said I probably have to have this on for two more days. Before we put the new gauze on, we had breakfast. I couldn't eat with it on, and I was starving.

Time dragged on as I stayed at the campsite. There wasn't much to do. I played cards with Jordan and Leo after they taught me how to play. That killed a few hours, but it still dragged on.

Leo and I looked at the map, and I showed him where my home was. He had a map of Jasper Park, so I told him where the best places were to camp far enough away from my home.

When we were done with that,I heard twigs snapping in the woods. The wind blew and I smelled the scent of Joe and Shane. There were more than two scents though.

"We're back!" Joe called out. He came out into the clearing, followed by Shane, Hunter, and Jupiter, all holding suitcases!

"Who's ready to get this show on the road again!" Shane exclaimed excitedly.

I tilted my head sideways, asking them what they meant.

"Winston convinced my parents to let us go!" Hunter explained.

Joe walked up to me and pulled something out of his pocket. "Word came out from Siberia. Pictures showing the lifestyle that they have. Look." I looked at the pictures: from what I know about society, these were the lower class anthros, and they looked awful. They looked cold and hungry and lifeless. "The pictures convinced them to let Hunter and Jupiter come with us. She said if that was the cause we were fighting for, then we need to go."

I nodded. We just have one more stop before we head off to Siberia. The problem was I don't know how long we will be there. The one thing I know, we need to get to Siberia and help those people somehow.

**Wow! A lot happened in this chapter. Well Luke and the gang are on their way back to Luke's place to train. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. School has somewhat settled down, so hopefully I can post faster. I'm still open to your OCs if any of you have any; just PM me. See you next time!**


	21. Chapter 21: You're Safe With Me

**Here's the next chapter guys! I'm going to try my best to post more frequently now. AP tests are next week, then things should slow down in school. Enjoy the chapter!**

We were on the road again, finally on the way home. It feels like forever since I've been home, even though it's only been a couple of weeks. I miss them, but it will only be a couple days till we get there. I have no idea how I'm going to explain the gash on my muzzle; my mom will freak out, that's for sure. I still have the gauze on it, and it still burns, but I got used to it.

The van was beginning to get crowded: we had seven people in here and five in the back. We had room for one more person, but we had no plans to pick anyone up, so we should be fine.

It was silent for the first half hour in the van, but conversation started when Jupiter started talking about the pictures. Thinking about the pictures sent a shiver down my spine. They looked so gaunt and lifeless; it was not a beautiful sight.

Hunter told me that his dad apologized later that night after he calmed down. I accepted his apology, but he doesn't know that. Next time I see him I will tell him, but that might be awhile.

"So, are you excited to be going home Luke?" Jupiter asked. I nodded. Now that we were all together, it sucked that I couldn't talk. I felt limited and restricted. My instincts were telling me to rip off the gauze, but I knew that the gauze was helping, so I controlled my instincts.

"It'll be a while till we go home," Hunter pointed out, "but I'm glad I joined you guys on this journey." I nodded again.

"It will be an interesting one," Joe said. "I know my grandpa told me about this when I was a pup, but I never would've thought it would actually happen."

"I had no idea it would happen," Shane put in, "but I'm glad that it happened. It's nice being around other anthros."

"Yeah," Joe agreed.

It went silent again. After a bit, Shane pulled out his 3DS and started playing games. Hunter and Joe watched him while Jupiter looked out the window. She noticed that I was looking at her. "It's so beautiful out there. You live in woods like this in Jasper."

I nodded, _see it everyday, and the beauty still never ceases to amaze me. _

"That must be awesome. I had to live in the Fort my entire life, so I didn't see much. I was pretty sheltered." It was silent for a quick moment. "How's your muzzle?"

I shrugged. _Still hurts,_ I wanted to say.

"I'm sorry for what my uncle did. That was so uncalled for."

I shrugged again. He was trying to protect his mate, so I kind of understood, but it was still uncalled for.

A long time has passed. We made some conversation, well, I listened. "Hey," Leo said from the driver seat, "we're going to be stopping at the next campsite so we can rest and eat."

"How long have we been driving?" Hunter asked.

"About seven hours," he answered.

"Seven hours!" Jupiter exclaimed and looked out the window. The sun wasn't setting, but it was on it's way.

"What time is it?" Joe asked.

"5:13," Jordan answered.

"Wow," Hunter said, "It didn't seem that long."

"That's because you were watching Shane play Pokemon the entire time," Jordan explained. "It's a great time waster."

"And addicting," Shane put in. "I finally beat the last gym, though."

"Okay guys," Leo interjected, "I'm gonna need you to cover up the windows so you won't get caught. We're almost there."

We sat in darkness for about twenty minutes. It's a good thing us anthros have good eyesight even in the dark. We talked at a whisper until we passed the park rangers and Leo was granted access to camp here for the night. We were now in the clear.

The van came to a stop and I opened the door. I was the first one to get out. My legs felt weird for sitting a long time, but that eventually faded away. The other came out through the door as well, having the same problem I had. It was funny to see how Hunter and Jupiter reacted: they've never been on a road trip like the rest of us.

Leo and Jordan came out of the van. "Okay," Leo started, "time to get food," he said to us.

"What do you mean by 'get'?" Hunter asked.

"Hunting," Shane explained, "so grab your gladii."

"For hunting," Hunter asked. "No, I'd rather use my bow." He brought a bow? He went back into the van and came out with a longbow. How did I not notice that. Hunter turned to me, "Now what?"

I pointed to Shane, then to my nose. Shane has the best nose, so I always put him in lead. Shane understood what I meant, so he started sniffing. It didn't take too long for him to pick something up. He started walking east, a tomahawk in hand. I grabbed my sword and Joe grabbed his composite bow. Jupiter decided to stay back with Leo and Jordan.

We silently followed Shane until he stopped and put up his hand. We must be close. The team looked to me, and I realized: this was my first time leading my full team. _This is so exciting! Though it would be better if I could talk, _I thought to myself.

I decided that I wanted to see Hunter's bowmanship, so I pointed to him then pointed to the direction that I smelled caribou. Let's hope Hunter has experience with his bow. I'm hoping we can just get an easy kill so we don't have to worry about a stampede. Hunter took the lead.

We kept going straight until Hunter stopped this time. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and lined it up with his bow, not pulling back yet. He spent a minute spectating the herd, looking for his target. I saw him pulled back his arrow, and for only a few seconds, aimed, then let go.

The arrow wizzed across the air and landed straight into the caribou's neck, but it wasn't enough to kill it. Hunter quickly fired another shot, hitting it in the haunch. The caribou fell to the ground, crying in pain. The other caribou fled the scene. Within minutes, the caribou was dead.

"Nice shots, Hunter!" Shane complimented. I gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you. I've worked with bows since I was a kid, so I'm pretty good with them."

"I can see that," Shane said. "Better than Joe," I heard him mutter. Joe didn't hear him. Looks like Shane is still holding a little grudge.

"Let's head back and cook this thing up. I'm starvin'," Joe said.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed, so did I.

We dragged back the caribou back to the campsite. It was really heavy. Leo and Jordan started a campfire to cook the caribou; starting the fire took about ten minutes. While they were doing that, Joe showed Hunter and Jupiter how to prepare it for being cooked. It took about an hour before there was enough food for all of us to eat.

I started pulling off the gauze that was around my muzzle; I yelped in surprize at the pain. It seems that the longer it's on, the more it hurts to take off. Jupiter walked up to me. "I can help you take that off," she offered. "My mom taught me a thing or two about medical attention."

She put her hands on my muzzle and started gently unwrapping the gauze around my muzzle. I whimpered slightly as she pulled it off.

"Oh quit being a baby," she said in a motherly tone.

I heard Shane, Jordan, and Hunter snickering behind her.

After a few moments she finally got all of the gauze off. Her ears flattened when she saw the gashes that were concealed by the gauze. "I'm so sorry that you had to get that," she apologized.

"No," I said, wincing at just moving my muzzle. "It's not your fault," I finished, deciding to not talk anymore. It hurts too much.

"I know, but I still feel bad. Is there anything else I can do?"

I nodded then walked to the van, grabbed a water bottle and rubbed some water on my muzzle. It stung at first, but felt better after a bit. I then sat down with the others to eat.

Eating itself was painful, but I was hungry, so I forced myself to eat. It wasn't that hard; caribou was my favorite!

After dinner, things started to wind down: Hunter and Jupiter were cooking marshmallows, Shane was cleaning his tomahawks, Joe was sorting through all his swords, and Jordan and Leo were playing some sort of board game; I was lying down underneath a tree. I finally get to keep the gauze off; Jupiter said that it wasn't necessary anymore, "Just don't do anything to make it worse," is what she told me; I just nodded.

I could see the red of the wounds in my peripherals. It did look pretty bad; I didn't really want to look at it in a mirror though. Maybe when it gets a little better.

"Huh?" Joe said, breaking the peaceful silence. He was looking at something in the case of swords.

'What?" Hunter said, quickly popping his marshmallow into mouth. He got up and walked to Joe, Jupiter following him.

"Look at this," he said as he pull out a gun. _A gun! _I exclaimed in my mind. I flinched as he pulled it up. I really hate guns.

Out of nowhere, Jupiter screamed and ran away, crying. Joe went to get up, but Hunter stopped him. "Let her be by herself to calm down. It's worked before. We'll get her soon."

It was silent for a few minutes. I got up and walked to the others. "Shit," Hunter said, his eyes on the gun, but he didn't look focused on it.

"What is it?" Joe asked, looking into the woods where Jupiter ran.

"It's a gun," Leo explained blandly.

"I know that," Joe replied, frustrated.

Shane smirked; he looked proud of himself. "It's a-"

"M1911A2 pistol. Standard issue pistol in the United States Army," Hunter interrupted.

"...Until it was replaced by the Beretta M9," Shane finished quietly, kind of awkwardly.

"What's so bad about it?" Joe asked.

Hunter was silent for a moment, his eyes not focusing on anything. "Have you guys wondered why Jupiter doesn't live with her parents?" We all nodded. "That's because they were killed...by this same gun." His eyes teared up a bit.

"What?" Joe asked, a painful look in his eyes.

Hunter swallowed, "When she was five and I was seven, she went out exploring in the woods with her family and mine. And...and when we were on our way home...they were shot right in front of us...by humans." He paused for a moment. "That's why my parents never let us leave. Some of the guards back at home are armed with that pistol, and Jupiter always freaked out whenever she saw that gun."

"Oh my gosh," Joe said, somber, his tail drooping. He looked back at the gun, then into his case. "There's a note," he pointed out as he picked it up and read it out loud: "Dear Joe, I forgot to tell you I packed up this pistol for you. It has served me well, so I hope it will serve you well, too. I put a few magazines in your case as well. Enjoy!"

He looked back at the gun then towards the direction Jupiter went in. His ears flattened. "I don't want it," I heard him mutter.

"What?" Shane asked.

I heard a growl escape Joe, "I said I don't want it!" he exclaimed, chucking the gun across the forest along with the the extra magazines. "Not if it scares Jupiter." He quieted down.

"But it was your grandpa's special pistol," Hunter argued.

"I couldn't care less," Joe stated, "it scared Jupiter enough for her to run away, it's not worth it." He turned around and ran towards where Jupiter went.

Shane, Hunter, and I looked at each other. "Let's go find them," I said, ignoring the pain.

"Yes," Hunter agreed.

I looked to Leo and Jordan, "Set up tents," I ordered them, trying to use the least amount of words as I could.

"Okay," Leo replied.

After that, I ran to catch up with Hunter and Shane. I caught up with them shortly; they didn't go too far. Shane followed Joe's scent. After a few minutes, I started to hear talking. Shane, Hunter, and I quickened our paces until the voices grew near.

The first thing we saw was Jupiter clinging on to Joe with him hugging her back. She was crying on his shoulder.

"It's gone. I threw it away," he told Jupiter, rubbing her back, "and it's never coming back." She cried on his shoulder for a bit more before he started speaking again. "You're safe with me. I'm sorry that I scared you."

"You didn't scare me," Jupiter replied, her voice muffled since her face was buried in Joe's chest, "that gun did. You didn't know."

"But I do now, and it's gone. It's safe back at camp. You'll never have to see it again."

"Jupiter…" Hunter walked out into the small clearing Joe and Jupiter were at.

"Hunter!" she exclaimed and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry. I ruined our trip."

Hunter chuckled lightly, "You didn't ruin our trip. We've barely begun." He looked her in the eye, "There will be hardships on this trip, and you know it. This is just the beginning. We'll get through this together as a family."

"Yes," I said, coming out of the foliage, "if you're going to be part of this team, that means you're family."

Her eyes watered up as she let go of Hunter, "Thank you, all of you. You have no idea how much this means to me." Joe walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to him, "And thank you for comforting me, Joe." She hugged him again.

"Anytime, Jupiter." Joe hugged back, "you are safe with us; I promise."

**So a lot has happened this chapter: Luke led his full team for the first time, and you learn about Jupiter's past. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate reviews, and I'm still open to any OCs. Just PM me. See you guys next time!**


	22. Chapter 22: Home at Last

**Here's chapter 22 guys! I'm sorry it took awhile to post this chapter, but hopefully I can update faster now that it's summer. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

"We're in Jasper guys!" Leo told us excitedly.

We've been on the road for six days total now. Leo said it is a forty-two hour drive from La Mauricie to Jasper, and we drove about seven hours a day. We hit the road at seven in the morning and now it is two thirty. My legs are getting restless from sitting for so long, but my muzzle is getting better! All that's really left is three scars running down my muzzle. The best part is that it doesn't hurt to talk anymore!

Joe and Jupiter were on one side, holding hands; Hunter was also on that side. Shane and I were on the other side. He was playing on his 3DS while I looked outside. I saw a wooden sign that said "Welcome to Jasper National Park" with a caribou on the side of it. _I can't believe I'm back home._

I opened up the window to catch that Jasper scent: the smell of home. There was a chilly breeze forcing its way into the van, so I closed it.

"Finally," I heard Shane complain at what Leo said, "we can finally get off this van soon!"

"Oh keep crying, baby," Jordan joked.

Shane turned to him, ears flattened, "Hey, you try sitting in the back with five anthros who are all growing winter pelts. Luke, open that window again, it felt nice." I opened the window again. "Thank you," he said impatiently.

"Relax, Shane," Jupiter giggled, "we're almost there. Just be patient."

Shane went back to his video games.

My tail started wagging at the thought of home. I missed it: I missed hanging out with Ian, and helping mom cook, and her cooking. I can't wait to get back home.

Joe noticed my tail wagging, "Are you excited to be going home, Luke?"

"You know it!" I said happily. "It feels like forever since I've been home. I can't wait till you guys meet my family!"

"Well it will be another ten minutes till we get there. And close the window and shut the blinds, we'll have to pass a few rangers," Leo told us.

"Okay," I said as Hunter and I closed the blinds.

We went silent for a awhile so no one outside the van could hear us. We drove for ten more minutes until we stopped. Luckily, they didn't check the van, otherwise they would be in for a big surprise.

"Okay guys," Leo said, turning back to us, "we're here!"

"Finally," Shane exaggerated.

"Okay guys," I said to my team, "let's get packed up and going!"

Instantly everyone turned to grab their belongings, excited to get out of the van and meet new anthros. I can't wait to get back home! I'm so excited! I grabbed my backpack, my sword, my other weapons like my shurikens, and some meat for the short trip. I was getting kind of hungry.

"You guys ready?" I asked the other four. Leo and Jordan aren't going with us for obvious reasons. One: even though my family doesn't fully judge humans, I don't think they would be happy with me showing humans where we live; two: there would be nowhere to put them; having four extra wolves in the house will be cramped enough; and three: having them following us could cause attention and we don't want other humans to find us.

"Let's go!" Jupiter exclaimed, excited to see something new.

We jumped out of the van and starts heading west where my home is. I know Jasper very well, and I knew exactly where we were: a little northward was where the hiking trail my family takes starts. It felt like so long ago when Sarah starts a stampede and I was stuck in the middle of it. Luckily Deklan was there to save me. Let's hope that the incident never happens again.

All the familiar scents of home came flooding in. I smelled the Jasper Pack. I smelled the caribou herds. I smelled my family. I was almost home! We were almost home, the trees becoming more and more familiar.

"We're almost there!" I told everybody, excitedly. Our pace increased.

We walked for a few more minutes in silence. I thought about my entire journey: it all starts when I got captured by Jordan and Shane. I would've never found Shane if that didn't happen, then I went to Jordan's school only to be rushed away by Leo. After that we went to Michigan to find Joe, which was easy. Lastly we went back to Canada and found Hunter, and after a few difficulties, he was able to come with us. A lot had happened in a short period of time, but the first part of our journey is almost over, and yet we still have a lot to do.

After seeing those picture of the starving anthros, I realized that what I'm doing is no joke: Joe, Shane, Hunter, and I are responsible for saving lives, and we'll do whatever it takes to do that. I have faith that after we learn from my grandpa, we can save many lives.

I can finally see my home! I can't believe it! I starts running towards my home; I just couldn't wait to see my family.

"Hey wait!" Shane exclaimed as he the the other three ran after me.

I rushed through the door that led to the kitchen. "I'm home!" I yelled into the house. No response. "Hello?"

Shane walked into the house after me. "It seems empty," he pointed out. My ears flattened. I was expecting everyone to be here.

The others walked into the house. I had to walk forward to give them room. "So this is your house?" Jupiter asked.

"Yeah," I answered, "but nobody seems to be home." That was a real disappointment.

"Well where are they?" she asked.

"Probably hunting," I answered. "When winter is near, we hunt more as a family to collect more. That's so during the winter, the wolves can hunt better; they like hunting in the winter."

"Oh," Jupiter said.

"Well," I start, breaking the short silence, "we might as well get settled in while we wait." I put the meat I had from earlier in the fridge. We can have it later.

"Okay," Joe said, "where do we put our stuff?"

"Er…" I thought for a moment, "how about in my room for now. We can figure out sleeping arrangements later."

"Fair enough," he replied.

"Well come on," I said, leading them to my room. When we got in there, I saw that my bed was neatly made, just like how it was when I left. "Huh."

"So who else sleeps in here?" Hunter asked.

"My brother Ian," I explained. "He's the oldest." And the nicest, but I didn't say that. "Adam and Sarah sleep in the other bedroom together. They're twins," I explained to Hunter and Jupiter. I didn't tell them much about my family, so this is all new to them.

"This is a nice house," Joe commented. "It's similar to mine."

"Yeah," I agreed with him, "they're even about the same size."

It was silent while the others went around the house to get acquainted with the new area. I starts putting all of my things away in my room. It's good to be home.

While I was putting all my things away, I heard the sound of someone talking outside and something being dragged. Shortly after, I heard the back door open, shortly followed by the sounds of smelling and cautious steps.

"Luke?" I heard grandpa's voice.

I rushed out of my room, "Grandpa!" I exclaimed, running to him and hugging him. The rest of my family was behind him.

"Luke!" my mom exclaimed, tears in her eyes. She and the rest of the family came to hug me in a group hug. "What happened to your muzzle!?" she asked worryingly.

"I'll explain later," I told her.

Ian was the first one to release his hug, "You're back so soon?" He turned around only to see Joe who was checking out the living room. "Who are you?" he asked, a slight growl rising in his throat.

"This is Joe," I told him, releasing my hug with the rest of my family. "This is Dante's grandson."

"So you did find somebody," grandpa said.

"Yep," I answered, "all of them."

"All of them?" he asked surprised.

"Yep." As if on cue, Shane, Hunter, and Jupiter came up from the basement.

It was silent for a few moments, grandpa staring in shock. It was Shane who broke the silence. "Hi," he said awkwardly.

Grandpa looked back to me. "How did you find them all so quickly?"

I shrugged, "I found a fast means of travel," was all I said.

"What does that mean?" dad asked.

"It's a long story," I told them. "I'll explain later."

"Would you like to introduce us to your friends?" my mom asked.

"Oh yeah," I turned to Joe, "as I said, this is Joe Reddy, grandson of Dante Reddy." Joe waved. I turned to Shane next, "This is Shane Fitzgerald-Long-"

"Long?" grandpa cut me off.

"We'll explain later," I told him. I just wanted to get the introductions done. "Anyway, he's the grandson of Dakota Fitzgerald." Shane nodded, his tail stopped swaying at the name of his grandfather. Lastly, I turned and gestured to Hunter and Jupiter, "And this is Hunter and Jupiter. Hunter is the grandson of Winston Stewart, and Jupiter is his cousin; she wanted to come with us, so we let her." They both waved.

Grandpa shook his head, "You can explain all of this over dinner," he told me, "you guys must be tired."

"And hungry," my mom pointed out.

"Yeah," I said, my tail wagging, while the rest of my team nodded in agreement. I can't wait to have my mom's cooking again!

"Okay," she said, "it will be done in about an hour, so get settled in."

"Come on guys," I said to my team, "let's go to the living room." They all followed me. Ian and Sarah tagged along, while Adam went to his room, and the adults started cooking.

Sarah ran up to me and hugged me again, "I'm so glad you're back. I was so worried."

I returned the hug and said to her silently, "I survived a stampede, a little trip around North America won't kill me."

"Little?" she questioned. "You traveled across _North America_! That's a lot of traveling."

"Yeah," Ian agreed, "how did you travel so fast. Grandpa estimated the trip to be at least three months."

I sighed, "Okay, you got me. We traveled with humans," I told him and Sarah.

"Humans!" I heard my mom exclaim. Whoops, I think I said it too loud. She and the rest of the family came into the room.

"It's a long story," I said to them.

"And you're going to tell it now," my mom ordered me. She didn't seem too happy with the idea, and neither did dad. I looked to grandpa, he just looked at me nonchalantly, shrugging. At least he wasn't mad.

"Alright," I said, my ears flattening. I don't like being scolded. "I was on my way to find the first new member, but when I got to Banff, I was chased and captured by humans. I woke up and it turned out Shane was there too."

Grandpa looked to Shane, "How did you get captured?"

Shane's ears flattened, "I never was captured. My family was killed when I was just a pup. These humans took me in and took care of me."

I saw my parents' faces soften and looked more gentle.

"I'm sorry for your loss," grandpa said.

"Yeah," I continued, "I met Shane while I was there. It was a family of biologists who research wolves and anthros. They were really nice, they didn't do anything bad to me. Later I met Shane's 'uncle', Leo, and he said that there was a biology convention coming in Siberia that he was going to go to. He's a park ranger, by the way," I told them. We were pretty familiar with park rangers. "Anyway, I told them of the story of the Ninja Wolf and Shane's 'dad' recognized you in documents that he's read, so he understood."

"You told someone my story?" now grandpa looked a little mad.

"He wasn't going to tell anyone," I defended myself. "So Leo took us to Michigan and we got Joe no problem, then took us to Quebec to get Hunter, but we hit problems."

"Problems?" my grandpa asked. "How can Winston give you problems? He's so laid back."

"It was my parents," Hunter said. "They were too overprotective. They hated the idea of me going out of our protected walls because it was 'crawling' with humans." He turned to Jupiter. "Her parents were killed by humans so we took her in."

"John and Maria?" grandpa asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah, didn't my grandpa tell you that? I mean you guys send messages all the time."

"No," grandpa sighed, "I was never informed of this. I'm sorry to hear that Jupiter. They were great people."

"Yeah," she said silently.

Hunter decided to finished of the story. "So we had a bright idea to introduce my parents to Leo and Shane's friend Jordan, whose Leo's nephew, but that plan backfired and my dad tried to attack them, but Luke blocked the claws with his muzzle. That's how he got the scars."

"How'd you convince them to let you and Jupiter go?" grandpa asked.

"With these," I pulled out the picture of the starving anthros in Siberia and handed them to grandpa. While he and my parents looked at them, I continued explaining. "That is a group of anthros in Siberia. They obviously aren't getting enough food."

Grandpa looked at the picture angrily. "This is exactly why I wanted you to form a team. Last letter I got from Winston he said that he learned that things weren't as good there as what we thought. The letters kept getting more negative. I'm glad you met Shane's adoptive family, they sped up your travel time so we can get you guys to Siberia quicker." He turned to Shane, "I would like to meet them someday while you guys are here."

"Okay," Shane responded, "they're camping at the Jasper camping site. We can get him later."

"Good," he said, then he turned back to my parents. "Finish cooking the caribou. I want to talk to the newcomers for a while."

Okay," my dad said as he and my mom left.

Grandpa sighed, then looked at all of us for a few seconds. "I want you guys to know that this means so much to me that you're doing this. I am proud to call you guys the new Ninja Wolf team. The training's not going to be easy, especially now that I've seen the picture. We are going to be training harder and faster. How much experience do you guys have with your weapons?"

"I have quite a bit," Shane answered, "I use two tomahawks," he told grandpa.

"I have a vast sword collection," Joe told him, "I've had a lot of training with my grandpa."

"I don't have much experience," Hunter said, ears flattened slightly, "I wasn't really that serious about it, but I am pretty good with my bow."

"Hm," grandpa said, "you're just like your grandpa," he smiled. He then turned to Jupiter, "Do you have any experience with a weapon?"

Jupiter looked at him shyly, "I'm not too fond of weapons," she explained.

Grandpa's face softened; he put a hand on her shoulder. "That's alright. How much do you know about medicine?"

Her ears pricked up at the idea, "A little, sir."

Grandpa chuckled, "Call me Nikolai," he looked at the rest of us, "all of you." Then he looked back at Jupiter, "You can be the team medic. My mate was one during the war. My daughter and I can teach you all you need to know on modern medicine and herbology; you'll probably need both."

"Thank you si- uh, Nikolai," she beamed.

"Of course. I understand where you're coming from: my mate was like that too, and there's nothing wrong with it."

We talked until dinner was ready, then everyone formally introduced each other at the dinner table. After that, we talked about sleeping arrangements. There are a lot of us in this one house now, eleven in fact, so we had to figure out how we were sleeping. We decided that Hunter and Jupiter were going to have the guest room while Joe and Shane slept in the living room. I didn't fully agree to that knowing that Shane wasn't too fond of Joe right now, but it was the best we can do. Shane just has to deal with it and be mature about it.

We went to bed early. Training was starting tomorrow morning, so we needed as much sleep as we could get.

**Not too much happens in this chapter; it's more of a filler. I'm still open to any OC ideas that you have. Just PM me. I appreciate reviews and OC requests, so don't be shy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you next time!**


	23. Chapter 23: Learning

**Chapter 23 is out! Sorry guys that it took long; this chapter is a lot longer than I expected it to be. It's 4,500 words! My longest chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

Morning came by slowly: it was hard to sleep with all the excitement of today's training. Not only that, but there was a huge thunderstorm last night, so it was hard to sleep. This will be my first time fighting in the mud.

I looked to Ian's bed; he was still asleep. The sun hasn't risen yet, so I don't think anybody is awake yet, but it doesn't hurt to check. My stomach growled. I guess I can get some breakfast while I was up. I quietly got up so I didn't disturb Ian then went to the guest room. I looked in the room to only see one head under the covers: Hunter. Where's Jupiter? Maybe she's already awake. I guess I'll see if Joe and Shane are awake yet.

I tiredly walked to the living room. We put a mattress in there that Joe could sleep on. Shane called the couch. I looked in to see Shane and Joe still sleeping. I turned around to go find Jupiter, but something appeared in my eyesight last second. I turned around to see Jupiter on the mattress with Joe cuddling! She had a smile on her face while she wrapped her arms around him like a teddy bear. What's going on here?

I went up to Shane to wake him up, but before I got to him, his head turned around to look at me. He was already awake. "Wha…?" he asked groggily.

"Are you aware of this?" I asked, pointed at Joe and Jupiter.

Shane slowly turned his head to where I was pointing. He looked for a few seconds until he realized what he was seeing. His ears pricked, and his eyes went wide. "What the hell!" Shane exclaimed. I shushed him. I didn't want the rest of my family to wake up.

"Go back to sleep, I'll deal with this," I told him.

"You think I can sleep with the thought of that," he pointed to Jupiter and Joe, "in my brain? No way. Besides, I wanna hear their punishment." He rubbed his hands in anticipation.

I sighed. Does Shane still have a grudge against Joe, or is he being himself? Whatever the case, I don't like it. I decided that I would be blunt about it. "Shane, are you still holding a grudge against Joe?"

Shane crossed his arms, "No," he answered. I could tell he was lying.

"I can tell you're lying, Shane." He smiled nervously and flattened his ears. "Just let it go," I told him. "I want this team to work together as a unit." I turned around to face Joe and Jupiter. This is my first priority; do I punish them? I don't know what to do. I need information.

I went up to Joe and tapped him on the shoulder. "Wake up," I told him.

Joe's eyes slowly opened, his jaws parted in a yawn. After that he stretched, which caused Jupiter to stir awake.

"You comfortable?" I asked Joe.

"Yeah, I-" he looked up to me, his eyes widened a bit. He looked to Jupiter, who was waking up, then back to me, "This isn't what it looks like," he told me.

I was about to say something, but Jupiter interrupted me. "Morning Joe and Luke," she yawned, "how'd you guys sleep?"

"Fine," I answered flatly. "Mind explaining what's going on here?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked me. I just gestured to them. "Oh…"

"Jupiter?" I heard Hunter say behind me. I turned around to see Shane standing next to him. Shane must've woke him up. "What're you doing?"

"You said I could last night," she defended herself.

"What? No I didn't," Hunter responded. "What are you talking about? Get out of that bed." She complied and got out from under the covers. She was in her pajamas while Joe was shirtless. Joe got up too.

"Yeah you did," Jupiter stated, "you said it was okay that I slept with Joe."

Hunter didn't look too pleased. "I did not."

I decided to break into this argument. The tensions were getting high, so I needed to break it up. "Okay, Jupiter, start from the beginning," I ordered her.

Jupiter sighed. "I was sleeping with Hunter when the storm started, but the thunder scared me. I asked Hunter if I could sleep with Joe to see if that would help, and Hunter said yes, so I did. And before you ask: yes, I am scared of thunder." She was silent for a moment, then she spoke up again, "We didn't do anything, honest." Joe nodded in agreement.

I nodded when she finished talking. She was being genuinely honest, and they did nothing wrong. My stomach growled again; I was getting pretty hungry. "Alright," I sighed, "just make sure that Hunter understands that you're leaving next time," I said grumpily.

I turned around and headed into the kitchen to get some food. I grabbed out the slab I brought from our trip back here and sat on the table.

I heard footsteps come up behind me. "You could've been nicer after Jupiter explained herself," I heard my grandpa say.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "I was resonable-"

"But your tone wasn't," grandpa interrupted me. "Think, Luke!" he told me, poking my head. "Be considerate of your teammates. She was scared of the thunder last night. Do you know why?"

"She's just scared of thunder. I was like that when I was a kid," I told him.

Grandpa face-palmed. Did I say something wrong? "You get nightmares sometimes ever since your dad killed that human. Some things that are traumatic stay with us." I stared at him blankly. Where was he going with this? Grandpa sighed, "Thunder sounds a lot like gunshots," he told me.

It didn't take me long to realize what he was getting at: Jupiter is scared of thunder because of what happened to her parents. Last time she freaked out, Joe was the one to comfort her, so she went to him. It all makes sense now.

"I guess I was still waking up, and I was hungry. I didn't think," I told grandpa.

"That's no excuse," he told me. He was looking out the window. "Here's your lesson for today: be considerate of others and think about their pasts. Simple things like thunder can mean a lot to someone. You're the team leader, you must always be thinking and alert. It's your job to protect them physically and mentally. Don't be stupid."

It was silent between us for a while, "I sense a bond forming between Jupiter and Joe," he looked to me. "When I was young, people would say that a relationship could distract the two lovers, but I think it's another motivation to strive for your full potential. Don't try to ruin their relationship, Luke; you can't stop love. Instead, let it be an opportunity to help both of them grow."

I thought about all he said for a minute. I knew something was up between Joe and Jupiter, but I thought is was a strong friendship. Maybe it's more than that. I should take my grandpa's advice. "Thanks grandpa," I hugged him.

"You're welcome." He hugged back. "Today, I think I'm going to focus my training on Hunter," he told me. "He hasn't had much training with Winston with his gladi, so today is his day to shine. I'll put my lesson to you in action today. Try to spot it."

"Okay," I said. I heard some arguing coming from the living room, where I left the others. I looked to grandpa, "I gotta go see what's happening on in there," I pointed behind me into the living room. I started walking away from grandpa, "Thanks again," I told him as I left.

I got into the living room to see Hunter scolding Jupiter. His hackles were raised. I mean I guess it makes sense that he's protecting her, he's like an older brother.

"Alright," I broke into their conversation, "Hunter," I addressed him, "you need to relax. No harm was done."

Hunter looked to me; his face was serious, "But she slept with Joe! Shouldn't there be some order here, you are the team leader after all."

"Like I said," I put a hand on his shoulder, his fur flattened slightly, "there was no harm done. She was scared and seeked comfort, which happen to be Joe. No harm done."

A slight growl rose in his throat, but before he said anything, he walked away.

I turned to Jupiter, she did not look happy. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble," I then looked to Shane, "and neither is Joe." Shane looked slightly disappointed.

Jupiter sighed, "It's just...I came with you guys to be free, and now Hunter is getting all wrapped up in protecting me. I can take care of myself."

Joe walked up to her. "I can talk to him," he suggested.

"I don't think that would help," Jupiter pointed out, "you're kinda the 'source of the problem', so it might not be the best idea."

"I'll sort this out," I told them. My stomach growled, "after we have breakfast," I said, embarrassed. The others laughed.

We walked into the kitchen and I grabbed the slab that I was going to have and ate that. Everyone else got some leftovers from yesterday's meal. Luckily the fridge and the freezer downstairs is stocked with food for the winter.

We ate in silence. I finished my food first, so I grabbed another slab and left to find Hunter. It wasn't to hard to find him: he was just sitting on his bed.

"Hey," I greeted him, "I got you some breakfast." I sat down next to him and gave him the slab.

"Thanks," he said, then started eating.

"So…" I started, trying to find the right words to say, "why are you so upset with Jupiter sleeping with Joe last night? It was only once." I asked him.

Hunter sighed, "If they sleep together one night, she will do it again the next night, then the next, and then-"

"Don't go down a slippery slope Hunter," I told him.

His ears flattened, "Am I being a bad brother?"

"For being protective? No!" I told him. "You just care for her." I looked to the ground, "Things are going to change on our adventure that we can't change, for better or worse, and we just have to learn to cope with them. Jupiter finds comfort in Joe, so she went to him. You can't change that." Hunter sighed again. "Think about it like this: Jupiter is happy with Joe. Isn't that what you want: for her to be happy?"

"Yeah," Hunter said, "but I still worry for her."

"And that's fine. It just means you're being a loving and caring brother...or cousin, whatever. Just don't be overprotective."

Hunter chuckled, "We call each other brother and sister. And since when did you become so wise?" he asked me.

"I think my grandpa's wisdom is rubbing off on me." We both laughed. "Come on, let's join back up with the group today. Grandpa said he's focusing on you today since you have the least experience with your gladii."

Hunter's eyes lit at the thought of learning more on how to use his weapons. "Then let's go!" he exclaimed as he stood up and left the room.

We didn't find them anywhere in the house, so we assumed that they were outside already. Grandpa always did like to start training early in the morning, and everyone was up already. But before we went outside, we ran into my mom and Jupiter.

"Hi mom," I greeted.

"Hi sweetie," she turned to Hunter. "I hope you don't mind; I'm taking Jupiter from you guys."

"Why?" Hunter asked, tilting his head slightly..

"I'm going to teach her more about medicine. We'll meet up with you guys later. Nikolai suggested it," she explained.

"What about self defense?" Hunter asked my mom, "I want her to be able to protect herself."

"But I don't wanna fight," Jupiter told Hunter. "I don't want to hurt others." I mean with her past, it makes sense that she doesn't want to fight. See I'm using grandpa's lesson already!

My mom looked to Jupiter with caring eyes. "You need to learn self defence, honey." Jupiter flattened her ears; she really doesn't want to fight. "I will teach you pressure points. Those are mostly harmless, then you don't have to hurt anybody."

Jupiter's tail started wagging at the idea. "I like that idea a lot!" Hunter looked relieved. My mom know her way around people, she can solve a lot of problems.

"Thanks mom," I told her.

"Any time, Luke," she returned, then went downstairs with Jupiter where she stored the medicine.

"Okay," I said to Hunter, "let's go!" We grabbed our weapons and went outside to look for the others.

The sun was just beginning to rise when we found the others. They were in an open spot in the middle of the woods. It feels good to be in a familiar part of the woods again.

"Alright, let's start with a brief lesson." Grandpa looked up to see Hunter and I arrive, "Ah, there you two are. Anyways," he looked to all of us, thinking, "Shane, come and fight me." He pulled his katana out of his sheath and set it in a defensive position.

"What!?" Shane asked, surprised, "I can't fight an old man," he scoffed. Really, Shane?

"I can," Hunter said confidently.

"Alright Hunter," grandpa said, "come at me."

"Kay," Hunter said, then charged him. As he reached my grandpa, grandpa blocked Hunter's first swing, stepped on Hunter's foot, then grabbed Hunter's other hand by the wrist and disarmed him. Shortly after that, grandpa elbowed Hunter to the ground, mud splattering everywhere, his sword pointing to Hunter's muzzle, and Hunter looked at him in disbelief.

"Shit," Shane said, disbelief and awe in his eyes. "I guess I underestimated you."

"Rule number one in fighting: be unpredictable. It will make it harder for the enemy to fight you." He turned to Shane, "I may be old, but I'm probably as fit as you. Never underestimate an old member of an elite group of any kind; they're still fierce."

Shane still looked surprised, "I can see that."

Grandpa nodded. "Now, today I'm going to focus most of my lessons to Hunter. He's the least experienced out of all of you." Everyone looked disappointed, only Hunter for a different reason. "Joe and Shane," he addressed them, "you will be focusing on stealth today with Ian."

Joe looked around, "Where's Ian? He's not here."

We all looked around. I an was nowhere. After a few seconds of looking, I caught a scent of him, and a second later, I heard him come down from a tree in front of us all. Everybody turned to him: he was kneeling with his bow pulled back, shortly releasing it behind us. "Hi," he greeted.

"I see why he's teaching us stealth," Joe said, one hand on his sword sheath.

"Right," grandpa said, "Ian will take you two deeper into the woods. I'm going to take Luke and Hunter."

"Okay," Ian said, "sounds good to me. Come on guys." Joe and Shane followed Ian. Grandpa waited for Ian, Joe, and Shane to leave before he started his lesson.

"Okay," grandpa starts, "how much do you know about your weapons?" he asked Hunter.

"Well, the Romans used the gladius as the primary weapon for foot soldiers-"

"No, the history of a weapon is important, but I meant do you know how to use it?" grandpa interrupted him.

"Kinda," Hunter said, not very confidently.

"Okay then, let's see how well you do with someone who is more experienced." Grandpa looked to me, "Luke, I want you to spar with him. I want to see what he knows and what he can do."

"Can I get quickly cleaned up?" Hunter asked.

Grandpa sighed, "Sure, just don't take too long. Go to the river west of here."

"The river," Hunter asked, confused.

"We bathe in the river. The flow should clean you up quickly."

"Okay," Hunter said excitedly, his mud-caked tail wagging.

After ten minutes, Hunter came back, looking a bit cleaner.

"Now," grandpa started, "you two spar. I want to see your skills."

"Okay," I told him. I pulled my sword out of my sheath that was strapped to my back; Hunter did the same.

"Don't go easy on me," Hunter told me.

"I saw you fight with Shane, you know a thing or two about fighting," I replied to him, getting ready to fight.

"Alright," grandpa starts, "begin in three...two...one...go!"

We starts off like how most of the spars I've seen start: we were circling each other. Hunter's tail was swaying in anticipation. It was Hunter who broke the circle.

He silently ran toward me, one sword in front of him and one behind him. When we met, he swung his front sword at me and I dodged it, then sidestepped to his side. Hunter stood there for a moment, the charge and his unclean attack killed his momentum. I had a perfect time to strike, but I wanted to see if he could fix his own mistakes first. The spar continued on.

Hunter turned and attacked again; it was still sloppy. I dodged this one too, but he recovered quickly. I decided to see how his defense was. I leaped towards him to close in the distance and went for his side. He easily blocked that with his sword. I almost dropped my sword: he hit hard and the thickness of his sword made a powerful block, and it caught me off guard, but I recovered quickly.

Hunter went back on the offensive. He swung both of his swords down in a chop right on top of my head. I stepped back and blocked both with my sword. The weight of his attack would have been more effective if he himself was heavier, but for his tall height, he was very light.

While he was distracted with that attack, I decided to kick him back. He did not see it coming, he stumbled back a few feet. I moved forward to attack him again, but he recover and crossed his gladi in a defensive position. My sword met in the middle. He threw in all his weight into trying to push me back, but I was too heavy for him. Like grandpa taught me a while ago: use your weight to your advantage, and I did.

I used my weight and started pushing back. Hunter stumbled back as he broke his defense; then he took many steps back. I decided to let him go on the offense this time, so I waited. He soon realized that I was waiting and he decided to charge again. He swung his right sword at me and I blocked it, but then he brought in his left sword. I quickly ducked before the sword hit me. I took a few steps back.

We both were panting. I can tell he doesn't have much endurance. I charged back at him and decided to end the match. I charged at him with my sword pointing towards him. He blocked it, but I put my foot on his foot and pushed him with all my weight to the ground. We both fell, and he dropped his gladi, but I quickly got up while he was stunned. The next thing he knew was there was a sword in front of his muzzle.

"Nice try, but you need some work," I told him as I lowered my sword then helped him up.

"It was a good spar," grandpa told us, "I think I see where you need improvement."

"Where?" Hunter said, happy that grandpa found a way to make him improve.

"You said you like dancing, right?" grandpa asked him. "You said that last night at dinner."

"Yeah. So?" Hunter asked, tilting his head.

Grandpa pulled out his sword. "Think of sword dueling like dancing," He swung his sword and body around fluidly, "you have to be fluid with your movements. You are really choppy with your attacks. Being fluid also can help with your momentum because I could tell that your momentum was off. You were doing the opposite of dancing out in the spar. Let's get in some practice for a few hours. Then we can get lunch."

"Okay," Hunter replied, tail wagging in excitement.

Grandpa looked at me, "I need to talk to you in private." He looked to Hunter who got the message and left somewhere in the woods. "Did you notice our lesson being put into use, Luke?"

_Here's your lesson for today: be considerate of others and think about their pasts. Simple things like thunder can mean a lot to someone. _Yes, I remember: he wanted me to be considerate of other's pasts and always think about them just like how grandpa used that to compare dancing to fighting with Hunter. It all make sense. "Yes," I told him, "You looked into Hunter's past and used one of his favorite pastimes as a lesson. I get it now," I told him.

"Good. We shall finish training with him, and hopefully, by the end of the day, he will be much better." He looked to the spot where Hunter went, "You can come back now!"

It didn't take too long for Hunter to come back. We went back to training and he didn't ask us a thing about our discussion. I don't know why grandpa wants to teach me in private, but he's the teacher, so I will do as he says.

Hunter got much better. We spent hours training, had lunch, then went back to training. His attacks were much more fluid and he used his momentum to his advantage. He still never beat me, but he was getting closer. His main problem now is dealing with a heavy weight, and that won't be a problem unless he's fighting with me. He just has to find his way around me. I don't know if he can beat anyone else either yet. It is only his first day of training here, so we didn't expect as much, but I can see the potential in him. He will do great.

Jupiter and my mom showed up when we were training. We were so relieved: we both had some cuts, him more than me, that needed attending to. Jupiter was having trouble recognizing each herb from each other. Apparently, she's only worked with modern medicine in her past, so this is all new to her. I can't blame her, there are so many herbs that do so many things. She was catching on quick though. My mom is a good teacher and she gets to train on live subject, which helps. Learning on the field is much better than learning without experience.

By dinnertime, we were exhausted. We went home to rest. "You guys want dinner before you sleep?" my mom asked, Jupiter standing by her.

Hunter and I looked at each other; we both nodded in agreement. I turned to mom, "Yes, please."

Mom quickly cooked up some caribou, which smelled great, but what food made by my mom didn't smell and taste great? As we were sitting at the table, talking about the spars, Jupiter joined in and told us all that she learned. I understood most of the medicine she talked about; my mom taught me some of it when I was younger.

While we were waiting for the food, Ian, Joe, and Shane entered in. They were covered in mud; Shane had the most mud on him, and he didn't look happy.

"Hi guys," I greeted.

"Where's your bath?" Shane asked, not paying any attention to my greeting.

"We bathe in the river," my mom told him.

"The river!?" Shane exclaimed frustratedly. He looked back outside and groaned. "I'll be back later." He left to get cleaned.

"Geez," I said, "what's gotten under his fur?"

"Mud," Hunter said, laughing. I just looked at him. I was too tired to care.

"So," I turned to Joe, who sat down next to Ian on the other side of the table, "how was stealth training?"

"It was good," Joe replied, "until Shane turned it into a spar. That's why he's so muddy: I pushed him into the ground." Joe sighed, "Why doesn't Shane like me?"

"I think he still holds a grudge from last time you beat him," I told Joe my hypothesis.

Joe sighed, "There has to be more than that, but I don't know what."

"I'll talk to him when he gets back," I told him. I decided to change topics, "So besides that, how was training?"

"Good," Ian said, "they're getting better. I had them hide from me, while I tried to find them. They got better over time. I also had them stalk caribou, which went fine. Grandpa said we'll be practicing stealth for the rest of the week. It's one of the most important parts of being a ninja."

"True," I replied.

Dinner's ready," mom said as she brought out a plate full of caribou for Hunter and I then brought out three more for Jupiter, Joe, and Ian. "I have some left for when Shane comes back. Just let him know."

"Okay," I responded. "Thanks mom."

"No problem. I'm going to see what's your dad up to." After that, she left.

Jupiter looked at her plate, her eyes wide, "That's a lot of food. I don't think I can eat it all."

Ian chuckled, "Whatever you don't finish, give it to Luke, he'll eat it up."

Jupiter looked to me, and I blushed. I mean Ian's not wrong, that's what we normally do here, but with my new friends here, it's kind of embarrassing. Everyone let out a small laugh.

We finished dinner. Jupiter ended up only eating half of her food, so she gave the rest to me. I was content after that. I sat at the table and waited for Shane cone come back. The others left to do their own thing: Hunter and jupiter went to sleep, Ian went to hunt with dad and Adam, and Joe went to wash up at a smaller stream away from Shane.

Shane got home before Joe did, and he seemed to be calmed down. I tried to get him to explain why he doesn't like Joe, but he wouldn't say anything besides that it was a grudge and left it at that. I was too tired to keep arguing, so we both went to sleep.

Even if there is a problem going on between Shane and Joe, I can see much improvement with the team. Our skills are improving and soon we will be the best team that was in Siberia. We just needed more practice. I have high hopes for this team.

**There's a lot going on in this chapter: Joe and Jupiter are growing a bond, Hunter improves at combat, and a lot more. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember: I'm still accepting OC's from you guys. I'm always open to more characters. Just PM me. Also I appreciate any reviews that you guys post. See you next time!**


	24. Chapter 24: Learning Part 2

**Finally! Here's chapter 24 guys. Sorry it took so long, but as you will see, this chapter is very long. It's over 6000 words! There's a lot that happens and it took me a while to write it all. Hopefully I can post faster now. I hope you enjoy!**

It was a nice, cool morning in Jasper. It has been a week since we started training. Hunter has improved greatly, as well as the rest of us. We spent the week practicing our stealth ever other day and our fighting on the other days; we would train in the morning, eat lunch, got back to training, then eat dinner and most of the time go back to sleep. It was a busy week, and this week was going to be no different.

I in the woods hunting with Adam and Sarah. Dad thought that I should hang out with my family more often since I came back, so he made us go hunting together. I didn't mind: it was nice to just be with my family like old times. The only problem was Adam.

"Oh great and powerful ninja," Adam said in a mocking tone, "have you found a scent with your ninja powers?" I just sighed.

"Adam," Sarah started, "you should respect the team leader."

"Heh," Adam scoffed, "I'd rather have a wolf lead us than a cow. He's making so much noise just walking."

I felt a growl grow in my throat, and my fur on my neck was raising. "That's because we haven't caught a trace of caribou yet," I told him through gritted teeth.

"I just think you're jealous," I heard Sarah say. I looked back to her, she had a big smile, "You just can't deal with the fact that Luke has special training."

Adam starts laughing, "That's a joke. He may have special training, but I'm still a far superior hunter than he is. I've been doing it for my whole life!"

"And that streak might end soon," I muttered to myself, making sure he didn't hear me.

Ever since I came back, Adam has insulted me whenever he gets a chance. That's why I didn't want to go hunting with him, but dad insisted that I do some bonding time. I'd rather go bond with a wolf poacher at this point. At least I would have something to take my anger out on.

"If you think you're so good," I turned back to look at Adam's smug face, "then why don't you take lead?"

Adam's tail wagged; he knew he was getting to me, and that's all he wants, but I'm too tired to try and ignore him. It's like three in the morning. Dad likes to hunt really early, so he made us do the same.

"Because I want to come back empty handed and show dad that you're a bad hunter."

"And what if-" I stopped. I started to pick up a scent of caribou: we were headed in the right direction. The other two noticed as well. "Follow me," I whispered.

I followed the scent until we hit a clearing. There was a herd of caribou there. _Yes! _I thought to myself, _time to prove Adam wrong._

We stayed behind cover for a while looking for the right caribou to kill. After ten minutes, we found two.

"Okay," I whispered to Adam and Sarah, "You two go for the stronger one while I go for the weaker one. I'll get mine first."

"How are you going to get yours, you don't know how to use a bow," Adam pointed out. I pulled out my sword that was sheathed on my back. His ears flattened, "Great."

"Hey," I looked to him, "I've done this plenty of times," I told him.

"Yeah, and it's showing," Adam rebuked. I looked back to the caribou, trying to ignore Adam's comments.

"Okay," I said before I advanced towards the caribou, "once I get mine, you two go for the other."

"Okay," Sarah responded, and Adam nodded.

I slowly crept up to the end of the foliage; my target was in sight. This was going to be an easy kill. I waited a few moments for it to look away so I could cut the throat without problems. Good thing I didn't have to wait too long, I was getting hungry.

As I was getting out of the foliage, I stepped on a stick and it snapped. I quickly looked to the caribou: the all had their heads up looking at me.

Time to act fast. I got up as fast as I could, making a lot of noise, but that didn't matter, they knew I was here. As I was running, the caribou starts to stampede away, but I caught up before they could go full speed. I leapt and cut the one in the back of the herd in the leg. It screamed in terror and pain. I got back up and quickly killed it before it felt anymore pain. A bunch of blood splattered on my sweatshirt; I sighed, _looks like I have to clean it,_ I thought to myself. At least it wasn't a white sweatshirt.

I heard rustling in the foliage and saw Adam and Sarah come out of cover. I turned back to where the herd went to see another caribou dead with one arrow in the neck and the other on it's side.

"Nice job," I told them.

"You too," Sarah said.

"That was the sloppiest kill I've ever seen," Adam complained.

"But he got it," Sarah defended me.

"Still-"

"No," I interrupted Adam. He looked at me, frustrated, "Adam's right: it was very sloppy. I stepped on a stick and made too much noise."

Adam looked at me, surprised that I admitted my mistake, he didn't know what to say.

We howled for dad to come to help us bring the caribou back home. He came quickly and congratulated us. Then we carried them back home. We stopped at the river so I could clean up a bit of blood that was on me. By the time we got back, Joe and Jupiter were up, sitting in the kitchen cuddling and talking while mom prepared to cook up some breakfast. Those two seem to get closer with each other everyday. Hunter finally accepted that they are forming some sort of relationship, while Shane hasn't said anything. I have no idea what he thinks of this relationship.

"Hi, Luke," Jupiter greeted me, "I see hunting was good."

"Yep," I panted, setting down the caribou dad and I were holding. Why do caribou have to be so heavy? "It was a successful hunt; a sloppy one, but successful."

"Sloppy?" Joe asked.

"Yeah," I said, rubbing the back of my head, "I made some noise and the caribou starts stampeding away, but we got these two."

"The most important thing is you got the kill," dad said in a positive tone. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Not every hunt is perfect."

"I know that feeling," Joe agreed while he rubbed Jupiter's shoulder gently. After that, dad left to help mom prepare breakfast, and Adam and Sarah went back to bed.

"Are the others awake yet?" I asked Joe when dad left.

"No," he answered, "Shane and Hunter are both asleep." Just as Joe said that, I saw Shane come into the kitchen, his jaws were wide in a yawn.

"Mornin'," he greeted tiredly, yet contently. He then looked to Joe and Jupiter and his smile turned to a frown. What's his problem? I know he still has a grudge against Joe, but it's gotten worse. I decided to ignore it.

"Good morning," I replied back. "How'd you sleep?"

"Bad," he answered, "I couldn't get much sleep for some reason," he explained, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh," I replied. "Maybe breakfast will wake you up. Mom and dad are preparing it now," I told him.

"Okay," he said, going back into the livingroom, "let me know when it's done."

"Yep," I replied.

An hour went by when breakfast was finally ready. Shane came back in and sat next to me, across from Joe and Jupiter. He still seemed kind of grumpy; I mean he didn't get much sleep so I guess it makes sense. Hunter was still asleep, so we ate breakfast without him. It was a quiet morning, no one really talked during breakfast.

As soon as we were done, grandpa came into the kitchen; he was cleaning his katana. "Good morning guys," he greeted us, he then turned to me, "How was hunting?"

"Okay," I answered. "The only problem was Adam," I told him.

Grandpa looked at me sympathetically, "Don't let him get to you, Luke."

"Don't worry," I responded, "I try not to."

Grandpa nodded, then he looked to the others. "Hunter still sleeping?" We all nodded. "Alright," he looked to Shane, "go tell Hunter that we are finishing up stealth training and to hide somewhere in the woods when he gets up. We're doing a game of hide and seek. I know it's a child's game, but it will help with your stealth. You win if you last until lunch. If you haven't been caught, return home. Once all of that is done, and we have lunch, we will do a few spars. So go tell Hunter that. The rest of you; let's go."

Before we left, Joe hugged Jupiter. "Good luck with your first medicine test."

"Thanks," she replied, letting go of Joe. They are getting real close. "This test is on the basic herbs. I don't think it should be too hard. I'll meet up with you guys later when you spar."

"Okay. See you then."

I turned to grandpa to see him looking at Joe and Jupiter. He was smiling. "They remind me of Lilly and I when we were young," he told me. "It's nice to see young love again. It's been so long." He was silent for a few moments. "Okay, let's go." So we followed him.

We got to the forest and waited for Shane, it didn't take him too long to catch up to us. We asked him where's Hunter, and Shane told us that he should be here shortly, and to not wait up for him.

"Okay," grandpa starts, "we are doing a basic game of hide and seek: you all will hide, and I will seek. The game will end when all of you get caught or when it become lunch time. You may work as a team or be separate; it doesn't matter. This test will determine if we need to practice some more or not. Is that clear?" he asked us. We all nodded. "Good. Now go and hide. I will give you thirty minutes." He walked away.

Shane, Joe, and I looked to each other. Should we go solo or work together? Joe nodded to me and looked to Shane. I guess Joe wants to go as a team. Shane looked to Joe for a moment, looking reluctant to agree, but he eventually did. So I guess we're all going as a team. I guess that's a good sign.

I pointed to my left to tell them that I think we should go in that direction. I know the forest more so I feel that I should lead them, and I'm their team leader, so I should get more experience.

As I pointed to my left, Joe pointed to my right, disagreeing with me. I shook my head and pointed to my left, insisting that we go that way. Joe looked at me for a moment then gave in. Joe and Shane followed me.

After we walked for a few minutes, I felt that it was safe to talk for now. We were well enough away that grandpa wouldn't hear us. "Why'd you want to go that way?" I asked Joe.

"I know a good hiding spot over there," he told me.

"But Luke's team leader," Shane pointed out to Joe.

"That doesn't mean I can't suggest anything," Joe retaliated. "Besides, Luke doesn't always have to lead us." My tail flicked in surprise.

"Are you questioning Luke's leadership?" Shane asked, judging Joe.

I could feel the tension rising between the two, so I decided to get involved. After all, they are arguing about me. "I know this forest better than both of you. I've lived here my whole life, so I feel like I should lead."

Joe crossed his arms, "I guess," he mumbled.

We kept moving in silence. Joe still didn't seem happy at the idea, but he kept followed us. I'm the team leader, I'm the one who makes the decisions. We first went to the river to mask our scents. Hopefully water is good enough. Once we were thoroughly washed, we headed to where I wanted to go.

We finally got to where I thought would be a good hiding spot: my favorite tree. The same tree that I climbed with Ian when I was eight. That was the first time I could beat Adam and Sarah in something.

"You want us to hide in this tree?" Joe asked skeptically.

"Yeah," I answered, "it's really tall and far away from where we started. Besides, this tree has meaning to me."

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked, sounding interested.

"I'll tell you when we get to the top," I told him as I walked up to the base of the tree. They both just sat there, looking up at the tree. It was one of the largest in Jasper that I've seen. "Well come on," I told them as I started climbing.

I walked away from the tree to gain some distance then ran back to it, giving myself momentum to reach the first branch. Last time I needed grandpa's help, but not this time. The first branch wasn't that hard, and neither was the second or third one. Shane starts climbing when I got to the third branch, and Joe followed when Shane got to the third branch.

"I love climbing trees!" Shane told me excitedly as he leapt up to the next branch. "It was one of my favorite things to do back in Yellowstone."

"Really?" I asked him. "What about video games?"

Shane stopped on the next branch, "Well... it's my favorite thing to do outside." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. I just laughed.

I was nearing the top of the tree. It was mostly barren at this point, considering it was the end of fall. I saw a gray figure at the top of the tree. "What the…" I muttered. I kept climbing up.

The closer I got, I could make out more features. Soon, it's head looked down at me, then I recognised it: it was Ian! "Hi," he greeted. "Bet you didn't know I was going to be up here."

I finally got up to the branch that Ian was sitting on. It was pretty sturdy. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I always come here," he explained. "I love this tree!" He looked to Joe and Shane when they got up to us. "How are you guys?"

"Good," Joe answered.

"That's good," Ian replied. He looked back to me, "Remember coming up here for the first time?"

"I remember it like it was yesterday," I told him. "Thanks for being such a great brother for all these years," I hugged him.

Ian laughed, "Of course. You're my little brother; I would do anything to make sure you were safe and happy." He looked to Joe and Shane then back to me. "I'm proud of you," he told me.

"Why?" I asked him.

"For taking the challenge of forming the next ninja wolf team. That takes a lot of guts." It was silent for a moment then he starts talking again. "Is this your stealth test?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered him.

"This isn't the best place to choose," he pointed out. "How long do you have to hide?"

"Till lunch," I told him.

"Ooh," he winced, "good luck with that one. When I did this, he took thirty minutes to find me, and I was in a great spot. He's way too good of a tracker, but at least we're high enough that we can talk and he won't hear us."

"Well," Joe interjected, "maybe being at a higher elevation will help. We're pretty high up and most people don't think to look up or down when they are searching for something."

"Yeah," I agreed, "but we're talking about my grandpa. He'll find us even if we went back to Fort Stewart," I joked.

We laughed for a bit then it became silent again. It was Ian who broke the silence again. "Hey Joe," Joe looked to him, "I noticed all of your swords. You must be a pretty good swordsman if your grandpa let you have all of those."

"Yeah. I spent six years learning about a lot of them with my grandpa. I probably have the most weapon experience on our team," Joe said, kind of boastfully.

Shane cleared his throat. "Actually, I took my tomahawks from Leo when I was seven. So that's eight years for me," he bragged.

Joe looked at Shane for a moment. He looked irritated. "But I had special training," he pointed to Shane, "You had to teach yourself."

"True, but I-"

"Cut it out," I told the two. "You're acting like two pups."

"So anyway," Ian said something before they started arguing again, "I was wondering if you wanted to spar with me later?" he asked Joe then turned to Shane, "Both of you."

"Okay," both Shane and Joe said at the same time.

It was silent for a while. It was Joe who broke the silence, "What's so special about this tree?" he asked me and Ian.

"When I was little," I started, the memories flooding back to me, "Ian wanted Adam, Sarah, and me to race to the top. Adam and Sarah were confident I couldn't do it, but grandpa gave me a boost to the first branch and encouraged me the rest of the way. Adam and Sarah both failed. It was the best day of my life."

"There will be better days then that," Ian told me. "When you go to Siberia, you will have many things happen to you, some that will be better than the day you climbed the tree. I just know it," he turned to Shane and Joe, "I don't know much about you two, and Hunter, but I know it will be the same for you."

An hour passed as we talked on the tree. Grandpa still hasn't found us, but I know it will happen soon. He is too good of a tracker.

While we were talking, we heard something climbing the tree. It was silent, but I could hear it. My ears flicked when I heard the sound, which grabbed the attention of the others.

"Are all four of you up there?" I heard grandpa's voice ask. My ears flattened: we were caught.

"I knew we would get caught if we went here," I heard Joe murmur. What's his problem?

"Nope," Ian answered, "only Luke, Joe, and Shane."

"I knew I should've checked here first," I heard him mutter to himself. "Good job you three." He climbed to the top so he didn't have to yell. He sat in between Joe and me. "We just need to find Hunter. We have about two hours left to find him, so it shouldn't be that hard." He looked to Ian, "You want to help?"

Ian's tail starts wagging. "Sure! I love a good game of hide and seek."

"Alright," grandpa started, "let's split up. If one of you find him, howl. We'll meet you there." We all nodded. "Let's move it!" he ordered as he started climbing down the tree. We followed him down in suit.

When we got down, I decided to head north. Hunter may have went into unfamiliar grounds to throw us off. I couldn't find a scent, but he might have masked it, like we did.

I kept all my senses on full alert, but I couldn't smell, see, or hear anything. If he went this way, he did a good job at hiding.

I made it to an opening in the woods, and I looked up to see where the sun was. It was noon. I guess I can look for a few more minutes then head back. I don't think anybody else found him yet; I haven't heard a howl, and I have the best hearing here.

As I was heading back, I heard grandpa howl. Did he find Hunter? I hope so. I didn't think Hunter would last this long, honestly. He has the least training out of any of us, so I wouldn't imagine he would last this long.

After walking for ten minutes. I ran into grandpa with the others; Hunter wasn't there with them.

"So nobody found him?" grandpa asked.

"No," we wall said.

Grandpa crossed his arms. "Impressive. Well, let's go back home. He should know to meet up back at home." He started walking home. We all followed him in suit.

We were almost home when Shane stopped and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?" Shane asked us.

We all stopped to smell the air, there was a faint smell that was different. It smelled familiar.

"What is that?" grandpa asked.

"I don't know," Ian answered, "but it smells good."

"It's coming from the house," Shane told us. He started running home.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, running with him. I know that smell, I just don't remember what it is.

We all rushed into the house, only to find Hunter in the kitchen holding a familiar sweet: cake!

Before I could say anything, grandpa walked in and saw Hunter. "What are you doing in here?"

"Making a cake," he said plainly. He just finished putting the frosting on it.

My mouth was watering. "Can I have some?" I asked him.

"Sure," Hunter said.

"What?" grandpa asked. I turned to him. "Luke, now's not the time for that. He didn't even leave the house for training."

"Training?" Hunter asked, but I ignored him.

"We are here for lunch, right?" I asked him, my tail twitching. "Then it is the time for cake."

Grandpa sighed. "Yes," he said, "it is time for lunch. Ian told me about the spars he wanted to do with Joe and Shane, so we'll do that after lunch."

"Wait," Hunter asked, "you guys were training today? I thought you were out hunting or something."

"What?" I asked him.

"That's what I heard last night."

I pointed to myself, "I was going hunting with Adam and Sarah, then we were going to do our stealth _test_. Didn't Shane tell you this morning."

"No," Hunter replied, "I don't remember anyone telling me that."

I looked to Shane. "I told him," Shane defended himself.

"Was he awake when you told him?" I asked him.

Shane's ears flattened, "I didn't check. Sorry."

"So…" Hunter started, "Who wants cake?"

"I do!" I exclaimed.

We all sat down and Hunter served us cake while mom cooked some caribou. The rest of the family came and joined us, so we decided to eat outside, where there was more room. It was nice it eat as one big family, even if we all aren't related.

Joe asked Hunter where he got the ingredients. Apparently, Hunter brought the ingredients with him from home. He said that he knew I would like it since he saw me at the party. Mom brought out the caribou and we all had a nice lunch.

Grandpa told us that we passed our test, even if we were caught in an hour. He said that being in a higher elevation was smart, and we hid our scents pretty well. Hunter will have to make up the test tomorrow, while the rest of us got the day off.

We weren't the only one to pass our test: Jupiter also passed her's. Mom said she had a hard time memorizing the names of them, but she could tell by appearance what they do. The last part of the test will be at the spar; it will be her duty to heal any wounds that happen after the battle. Today was a good day.

"Alright," grandpa said after we let ur stomachs settle an hour after lunch, "let's go start the spars." Grandpa turned to me, "I want you to see if you can find weaknesses or openings in Joe and Shane to see what they can improve in anyway they can."

That's sounded familiar, "Dante told me that when we were at his home," I told grandpa.

"Who do you think taught him that?" grandpa asked with a smirk. He looked to the rest of the party who was coming: Joe, Hunter, Shane, Jupiter, mom, and Ian. "Let's go."

We got to the opening in the woods where we normally spar. We decided on the way that Shane would fight Ian first, so Shane went on one side, while Ian went to the other side of the open field.

"Alright," grandpa started, "normal rules for a spar: first one to surrender loses. Are you two ready?" grandpa asked both of them.

"Yes," Shane said with a serious face. He pulled out his two tomahawks.

"I am too," Ian stated as he pulled out his katana. He looked to Shane, "Good luck Shane." Shane just nodded, still looking as serious as possible. I've never seen him look this serious.

"The match will begin in three...two...one...go!" And the match started.

Ian and Shane circled each other, trying to find an opening, Shane launch first, going for Ian's side. Ian quickly sidestepped the attack and swung at Shane with lightning speed. Shane blocked the attack with one of his tomahawks and attacked with the other one. Ian ducked under it and pushed Shane away with his sword that was still attached to Shane's tomahawk. Shane took a few steps back; this time he was on the defense.

Ian charged at Shane, attacking from the right, but before his sword landed, he made his sword go above and around Shane to attack him from the left. He juked Shane. Ian's only problem was Shane's reaction time and speed were his advantages. Shane rolled to the side, getting back up again in a second.

"Impressive," Ian said, "I've never seen someone counter that before, granted I haven't fought many people, but even grandpa couldn't counter it."

Grandpa nodded, "Yes, very impressive."

Shane ignored what grandpa said and charged at Ian, but Ian decided to made his defense an offense. He stepped forward, and pushed Shane forward when their weapons met. It stopped Shane dead in his tracks. Ian is heavier and bigger than Shane, so it worked out well in end for Ian. He threw Shane back again.

None of that phased Shane though; he started charging Ian again, but this time he rolled when he was near Ian, getting behind him before Ian could react. Shane swung once and cut Ian; from what I could tell, it wasn't too bad, and Ian doesn't look like he's in too much pain; more of surprise. Shane kicked Ian to the ground.

Shane was going to go for another slash, but Ian rolled and got up while Shane was recovering from the miss. Ian went for Shane and cut him as well on his left arm. He grunted in pain, but kept fighting on. Shane charged at Ian and swung with his right arm. Ian dodged that attack. Shane then swung with his left, but his attack was slower because of the cut. This gave Ian an opening, which he took.

Ian slashed another hit and cut Shane on the side. That one looked deeper that the other cut, but Shane still didn't give up.

Shane charged at Ian again and did his rolling strategy, but the pain in his side messed him up. He slipped and stayed on the ground. Back to the ground.

Ian went up to Shane and stuck his sword right in front of Shane's face. He had a big smirk on his face. Shane looked pissed.

"Good match," Ian said as he extended his hand out to help Shane up, but Shane ignored it and got up on his own. He muttered something to himself and walked towards the rest of the group. Jupiter went to him and put mashed up goldenrod on him. Yes, I know some herbal medicines. After that, she put gauze around the wounds. Not a single word was said between the two, Shane just looked angry; he does not take defeat too well. Jupiter just looked awkward, she didn't know what to say or if she should say anything at all. I think I heard a growl escape from Shane.

I looked to where mom was treating Ian. She was acting like he was a pup again. "This may sting a bit, sweety," she put goldenrod on his wound, followed by some gauze. "There all better."

"Mom," Ian groaned, "you're embarrassing me. It's just a minor wound." I couldn't help but to laugh silently. Mom's always like this.

"Grandpa looked to Ian, then Joe. "Are you two ready?"

Joe nodded while Ian said, "One minute. I need to take a quick rest."

"Alright, suit yourself." Grandpa walked up to me. "Did you find any weaknesses for Shane?"

I nodded. "Yes. Shane has to work a little on his momentum when he misses. Also, he slows down when injured, mainly the arms."

"Good," grandpa said. He turned to Shane and Ian. "I am impressed with your spar. You two don't disappoint, that's for sure."

We waited for a few minutes while Ian got prepared again. He sat under a tree, meditating. He soon got up. "Okay. I'm ready now," he told us.

"Alright," grandpa said, "get on opposite side so we can start the spar." Joe and Ian both went to their sides. They both were wielding katanas, so no one had an advantage over the other. This is going to be interesting. "The match will begin in three...two...one...go!"

Unlike the beginning of most spars, Joe advanced to the middle of the field, interrupting the flow of the circle that normally is formed. He may have advanced early, but he was in a defensive position. His sword was positioned diagonally across his chest. Both of his hands had a tight grip on the katana.

Ian, noticing Joe was on the defensive, advanced towards him. Ian started his first attack. Ian extended his sword to thrust, trying to counter Joe's defensive pose, but Joe brought his sword up upon Ian's, making him miss and go above Joe's head.

Joe then quickly brought down his katana and chopped at Ian's legs, but Ian quickly dodged that by jumping backwards. Ian swung his sword in a shash down to Joe's muzzle, but Joe quickly recovered from his miss and blocked the attack with his sword.

Ian took a few steps back to recover from the strong attack that Joe blocked, but it wasn't too long before he jumped back on the offensive. Ian slashed at Joe only to be blocked again. He tried five more times in different areas to try and see if Joe would slip up, but it never happened. Once he was done with the rapid attacks, Ian fell back and went into a defensive position.

Joe took a few steps over. He looked to the right then swung right. Ian quickly blocked it. Joe looked to his left and slashed at his left, but Ian dodged that one pretty quickly. Joe's weakness was getting the best of him, and I know Ian noticed it too: I could see his signature smirk on his face.

Ian blocked two more of Joe's attacks before he used Joe's weakness to his advantage. He noticed Joe look to his left, so he quickly dodged it and attacked on Joe's right, getting a cut on Joe's side. Joe yelped in surprise and in pain. He took a few steps back and went in a defensive position. Ian was getting the upperhand.

Ian took a large step forward, swinging at Joe, who quickly blocked the attack. Ian took another step back. If there is any weakness I found in Ian, it's that he doesn't react well with having his attacks block by another sword.

Joe advanced again, going on the attack. Joe took another step forward, stepping on Ian's foot, trying to tackle Ian down, just like how I do it, but Joe only bounced off. Ian was in a strong defensive position. Again, just like with Shane, Ian is heavier than them. The only one who could do that to Ian is me, I think.

Joe recovered quickly from his mistake and attacked again only to be constantly blocked. But then the unexpected happened. Joe fell back to the edge of the arena then charged Ian. Ian thought it would be an easy block, but Joe ducked down into a slide, he cut one of Ian's legs.

Ian fell to the ground, clutching his leg. Joe quickly got back up and extended his katana to Ian's face. Ian looked up from his leg and smiled at Joe. "Impressive." Joe helped him up and brought him to my mom. "I never saw that strategy before."

"I just thought of it," Joe told Ian.

"Smart," Ian commented.

Jupiter ran up to Joe, leaving Shane to lean against the tree. Shane looked more pissed than usual. "Are you okay Joe?" Jupiter asked, full of concern.

"Yeah," Joe said, his ears flattening in embarrassment, "I'm fine. It's just a scratch." She led Joe to a tree so he could sit down then she took off his shirt. I don't think taking off his shirt was necessary considering he was cut on his lower side; you just pull up the shirt a bit.

Jupiter looked at the wound and winced. "Oh you poor thing," she said in a baby voice.

"Really, it's not that bad," Joe insisted, cheeks flushing.

"I don't care," Jupiter said, grabbing some goldenrod, "you're my patient, and I must care for you."

I heard footsteps behind me and then I heard growling. I looked behind me to see Shane, but he looked different: every strand of fur I could see was raised, he was baring his teeth, his breathing was heavy, and his eyes were dilated. I took a few steps back out of surprise and slight fear.

He walked up to Joe and Jupiter; Jupiter was still babying Joe. Shane gently shoved Jupiter to the side and looked Joe dead in the eye. "I've had it up to here," Shane said, his hand above his head. His voice seemed slightly deeper than normal. Then out of nowhere, he swung at Joe. I could see blood fly past Shane's face, and I heard Joe yell.

I let my instincts control me. I ran in front of Shane before he could do anything else. I could hear Jupiter screaming and everyone else gasping or running up to Shane. I felt a sudden pain right in my stomach, then I felt the familiar warm liquid: blood.

Hunter and Ian arrived and pulled Shane away. I just stood there, glaring at Shane. His breathing started to slow down, and his bloodstained fur started to lower. Lastly, his eyes became normal. "Huh?" Shane questioned, looking to me in shock, then at Joe behind me. "Did I…?" he asked. I nodded, still staring daggers at him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, then out of nowhere, he shoved Ian and Hunter out of the way and ran into the forest.

Ian started to run after him, but Hunter stopped him. "Let me handle this," he said, untying his sheathes, dropping his gladii.

"I'm coming too," I said before he could leave. I started to walk towards him, but I stopped. The pain in my stomach was too much.

"You're not in the condition to go anywhere," Hunter told me. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." After he said that, he dropped his bow and ran off.

The clearing was full of chaos. Mom and Ian brought me to a tree to check out my wounds. I looked to Joe: Jupiter was crying over him while trying to patch up his wound.

"He's passed out!" Jupiter cried to my mom.

Grandpa quickly ran over to Joe and inspected him. "He'll be fine," he assured Jupiter, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He blacked out from the pain and blood loss. We just need to make sure he stops bleeding." Jupiter was still crying. "I'll help you," grandpa said. He quickly looked over to mom, "How's Luke?"

"Doing good," mom answered, "The cuts are deep, but no organ damage. His sweatshirt and fat protected them."

"Good," grandpa said.

I just sat there, letting mom heal me. Ian grabbed out his sword and stood guard. He didn't want anymore trouble then there already was. What happened?

**There you have it guys! Man, a lot has happened this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate reviews, and don't forget to PM me your OC's. I'm still taking them for later parts. I'll see you guys next time!**


	25. Chapter 25: Regret

**Chapter 25 is here! Sorry for taking a long time to update, but I will try to do better at posting faster. I hope you enjoy! Warning: bad language in this chapter.**

"Okay," Ian said, interrupting the silence that fell upon the group while Joe and I were treated, "what the hell just happened."

"I think I know what it is, but now's not the time. Right now we have to take Joe and Luke home so they can be more comfortable." Grandpa turned to mom, "Dawn, do you think you can help Luke get home? Ian and I need to move Joe."

"Of course." She turned to me and extended her hands. I grabbed hold of her hands and tried to lift myself back up. I slowly made it up, whimpering in pain the whole way, but I was up. The horrible pain easing away when I got up. I put my arm around my mom's shoulder, using her to carry my weight. I may be heavy, but my mom is surprisingly strong.

Now that I was standing, I could see Joe's wound clearly. I winced at the sight of the slash: it was big. It went from his chest diagonally down to the middle of his stomach. There was plenty of gauze on it, but some blood was still seeping through. Even though he was knocked out, there was a pained expression on his face when Ian and grandpa picked him up. Jupiter was still crying next to Joe; she was carrying all the medicine and herbs to bring back home.

We went home as fast as possible. We needed to treat Joe as fast as possible, and a good chunk of our medicine was at home, so we hurried up.

My stomach was hurting a lot by the time we got home. We went to my room; they set Joe down on Ian's bed and set me down on my bed. Jupiter came in after dropping off the extra medicine on the kitchen table. She wasn't crying as much, but I could tell she was terrified.

My mom turned to her, "You need to keep your composure. I know it's hard to do, but you must do your best. Let's go get the tools and medicine we need. Ian and Nickolai can watch over the two for now." Jupiter nodded, rubbing the tears away from her eyes and followed her.

Once they left, I heard grandpa sigh then he turned to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that I'm laying down. What happened to Shane?" I asked him. "You said earlier that you might know what happened."

"Yes," grandpa said, sitting down next to me. Ian sat on the floor next to Joe, listening to grandpa, "it's simple: he lost control of his instincts. It's not too uncommon for anthros; if an anthro has strong enough emotions about something, they can tap into their instincts. It can be very dangerous."

"So," Ian started, "did he 'tap into' his instincts by himself, or is it something you can't control?"

Before grandpa answered, I interrupted him, "Was it Shane's fault?" I don't like the idea that he was in full control of himself when he attacked me and Joe. That just doesn't sound like the Shane I know.

"Yes," grandpa answered, "Shane was in control of himself. He may not have been thinking clearly, but he was in control." Is there more to Shane that I don't know. Can I even trust him? I don't know what to think anymore; so much has happened. Grandpa then turned to Ian, "So to answer your question, Shane tapped into it. He might've done it without knowing it, but to figure that out, we'll have to talk to him."

"Well Hunter's doing that now," I pointed out, "maybe he can get some answers."

"Yes," grandpa agreed, "living at Fort Stewart, this sort of event could've happened; I would not be surprised."

We were silent for a moment. Grandpa went back to observing Joe; he was still out cold. Shortly after, Jupiter and mom came back in with a lot of medical supplies. She went to me and quickly wrapped gauze around my midsection. It took a lot of gauze. After that, mom told us that Joe would have stitches; that sounds painful. I guess it's a good thing he was knocked out.

A few hours passed and Joe was finally all patched up. It took a while for my mom to teach Jupiter how to do stitches. She was hesitant, but Jupiter did it correctly, just a bit slower than normal. Mom said he would be in bedrest for a week, and he couldn't do anything strenuous the week after that. So he was out of training for two weeks. Why did Shane do this?

A few more hours passed. It was silent in the room. Mom left to prepare dinner; it was about dinner time. Jupiter went with her, she was still in slight shock; this really affected her. I feel bad for her. Ian left to hunt with dad, Adam, and Sarah, while grandpa stayed in the bedroom with me, meditating in the corner. Joe was still out cold.

I heard the kitchen door open. "Hello." It was Hunter's voice. He was greeting my mom. She said "hi" back. I tried to get up to go talk to him, but my stomach was hurting bad.

"Stay in bed," grandpa told me. I just layed back in bed, crossing my arms.

"Hey," I heard Hunter greet grandpa in the kitchen. "How's Joe and Luke?"

"Joe's still out of it," grandpa explained, "Luke just needs to stay in bed for now."

"Oh, okay," Hunter said. "I need to talk to Luke...uh, alone, I'd prefer." I could hear him walking towards my room.

"Okay," grandpa said, sighing. "I'm going out hunting. If you need anything, Dawn is still here, talk to her."

I heard more footsteps getting closer, and shortly, Hunter entered the room. He looked to Joe's unconscious body then to me. "Hi," he said weakly.

"Hey," I responded, "what do you want to talk about?" I asked him.

"Well…" he stopped to think, "I don't know how much I should say."

"Did you find Shane?" I asked him.

"Yes. And he's calmed down." He looked out the window for a minute. "He said some things that I think you should know, but you should hear it from him. This isn't the first time I was a messenger, but all other times went south, so I think you need to talk to Shane."

"Where is he?" I asked Hunter.

"With Leo and Jordan," he told me. "Can you even get up? Are you allowed up?"

"I can try," I answered the first question, "and no, but I will anyway." I put a hand on the bed to push myself up; I just froze in pain.

"Let me help you," Hunter offered. He walked up to me and stretched out his hand. I reached for his hand and tried to pull myself up, trying to ignore the burning pain in my stomach. "Man you're heavy," he grunted, still pulling me up.

"Just help me up," I said, embarrassed.

I finally got up after a while. Most of the pain was subsiding now. There was still some pain, but it was manageable. I wrapped my arm around Hunter's side, using him as support.

We made it out into the kitchen where we ran into mom. We stopped dead in our tracks at getting caught.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked me, her hands on her hips.

"I need to talk to Shane," I told her.

"No. What you need is some rest to recover."

"I can do that later. I'm not going to do anything crazy out there. I'm just going to talk for a bit, then come right back. I'll be okay," I tried to convince her.

She frowned. I could tell she was not happy with the idea. "Fine. Just don't be too long."

"I won't," I told her. "Look out for Joe," I said as we started walking.

"Yep," she responded as we walked out the door.

Hunter and I walked in silence. It took all of my focus to just walk right now; my stomach started hurting again, but I won't stop until I get to Shane. I need to know what caused Shane to snap. I had many questions running through my head that I was going to ask Shane that I could feel a headache coming on.

I could finally smell a camp fire; we're almost there! Just in time, I don't think I could do much more of this right now. Rest will come soon.

Hunter and I walked into the clearing that Leo and Jordan set up. There was a campfire in the middle cooking something. Leo was tending to the food while Jordan was searching through a backpack; they didn't hear us arrive. Shane was sitting against a tree, just looking at the ground.

"I'm back," Hunter said to them.

Leo and Jordan both turned to me and Hunter. They looked at my wounds in shock. I still had my torn shirt on, so my wound was obvious, even if it was covered up in gauze.

Shane slowly lifted up his head. His eyes widened when he saw me. He quickly got up and ran to me. "Luke!" he exclaimed, tears in his eyes. He practically tackled me in a bear hug. Luckily Hunter caught me before I could fall. I was in a lot of pain, but I decided to just stand there and let Shane hug me. "You're okay," he said, still hugging onto me.

The pain became too much. "I won't be if you keep hugging me this hard," I told him.

"Sorry," Shane let go of me and slowly started walking away. "I'm sorry for everything," he muttered. He went back to the tree he was sitting at and leaned against it.

I looked to where Leo and Jordan were, and they were gone; so was their food. I'm assuming they left us so we could talk privately.

"H-How's Joe?" he asked, voice shaking.

I walked towards Shane with some difficulty and sat against the tree he was leaning on. Hunter soon followed and sat across from Shane against a different tree. "He's still unconscious and had to get stitches, but he'll be fine in about two weeks," I told him.

"He's gonna hate me," Shane whimpered. I was silent; I didn't know what to say to Shane. I don't know what Joe will think when he wakes up, and I'm still trying to process how to feel. I only feel pain right now. "Do you hate me?" Shane asked.

That question struck me. Do I hate Shane? Of course not! I was brought up to not hate anyone, and Shane is no exception. "No, Shane, I don't hate you, and I don't think Joe does either," I comforted him.

It was quiet for a moment, but Hunter broke the silence. "Shane," Shane and I both looked to Hunter, "I didn't tell Luke what happened. I thought you should be the one to say it."

Shane sighed heavily. "You're right," he chuckled a bit, "it all started when Joe beat me in our first spar." He looked to me, "I would've never thought it would go this far." He was silent for a moment again. "I'm way too competitive, ever since I was young. Then he beat me again during stealth training. Then Jupiter…" He stopped after that.

"What does Jupiter have to do with anything?" I asked, trying to get answers.

Shane looked at me then back to the ground. "I was jealous," Shane admitted, "I had a thing for her when we first met her at the dance," he swatted his arm, "but Joe took that all away from me!" He started breathing heavier, but it didn't last long. "Sorry," he apologised for his short moment of anger. " I let it build up, and it all went to shit." He looked back up to me with watery eyes. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He said sincerely, then he muttered, "I fucked up." How did I not notice that Shane had a crush on her?

"It was just a mistake-" I started to say, only to be interrupted by Shane.

"That won't happen again because I'm not going with you guys," Shane stated.

"What?" I asked him in pure shock.

"I'm a danger to this team, and no one likes me. I'm going home."

"You can't!" Hunter said in disbelief.

"I can," he replied blandly. He stood up and started walking to the van. Shane can't leave. He's a brother, I told him that myself. We will not leave a brother behind!

I painfully stood up as fast as I could, so I could catch up to Shane. My stomach started hurting again, but I ignored it. I caught up to Shane and put a hand on his shoulder. "You are not leaving. Brothers stay together."

Shane stopped and stood there. "Brother," I heard him mutter very quietly.

"Yes," I answered him, "we all are. I forgive you for attacking me and Joe. Just promise me you won't do it again."

"Snowball's chance in hell I will do that again," Shane said quietly. "I hurt family. That must never happen again."

Hunter walked up to Shane and I. "I forgive you too," he said to Shane, "and in time this will be a memory we will laugh at. Joe will forgive you, and Jupiter will forgive you. She's very understanding and loving; you just need to give her some time."

Shane turned around and looked at me and Hunter. His eyes started to get more watery, but before he started crying, he hugged both of us. "You guys are the best. I couldn't ask for a more loving family."

We stayed in that hug for a while, it was when we heard the howl for dinner that we stopped. I talked with Leo and Jordan quickly and told them that we were going to be back, and that my grandpa wants to meet them. After that, Shane and Hunter helped me get home. Our family was back together again.

**So there you go. Shane messed up and regretted it. How will the others react when he returns home. I guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter. See you next time! **


	26. Chapter 26: Past Mistakes

**Hi guys! Sorry it took so long for a chapter to come out, but school started so it's hard to find time to work on my story. It might take longer for me to post another chapter. Sorry again, but enjoy this chapter!**

"Hello!" I called out when Shane, Hunter, and I walked in through the front door. Hunter and Shane were still helping me get in the door when mom came to the door.

"You're back," she said to me me relieved. She turned to Hunter, "Thank you for helping him."

"Of course, but Shane made it a lot easier to bring him back," Hunter said as he looked to Shane.

Mom looked to Shane with a glare. "Luke wouldn't need the help if you didn't attack him in the first place," she pointed out with an angry tone. Shane flattened his ears; he's already had a rough day, and this is not making it any better. "But…" my mom continued, "thank you for helping him home. It was very humble of you." Shane's tail started wagging, happy that she's not completely mad at him. "Come on in. It must be tiring carrying Luke around."

Mom…" I groaned. She just laughed.

"Dinner is ready. We were waiting for you to come home," mom told us.

"Cool," I said as Hunter and Shane helped me towards the kitchen. My stomach was still hurting pretty badly. Maybe some food would make it feel better. It has in the past.

We entered the kitchen, and I could smell the caribou. My mouth began to water. I looked to the see that everyone was there except Joe (obviously) and Jupiter.

"Where's Jupiter?" I asked mom.

"She's with Joe," grandpa answered. "She said she wasn't hungry." He turned to Shane. "Hello Shane, glad to see that you're in your right mind."

Shane's ears flattened against, a guilty expression donned his face. "yeah, " he muttered, "I did-" grandpa interrupted him.

"Let's not worry about that right now. For now, let's just enjoy dinner," he said in a gentle tone. Shane relaxed a little. He was still tense, which made sense, considering everyone sitting down was staring at him. I would hate to be in his position, but hopefully this will help him learn to never lose control of himself again. I may feel bad for him, but he has to learn, even if it's the hard way.

Shane and Hunter sat me down then sat down next to me. Dinner was uneventful: we just ate in awkward silence. Nobody said anything the entire time. Shane would get some stares while he just looked down to his food.

Mom was the first to leave the table, bringing her plate to the sink. Adam got up next, and Sarah shortly followed him. They both went off to help mom count and restock her herb stock. Soon it was just me, grandpa, Ian, Shane, and Hunter.

We all sat in silence for a few moments before grandpa finally spoke up. "Would you like to see Joe?" grandpa asked Shane.

Shane gulped, "Y-yes," he hesitated.

"Alright," grandpa said as he got up, "follow me." He and Shane walked towards my room. I tried to get up by myself, but it was too painful. Luckily Hunter and Ian were there to help me up.

We followed grandpa and Shane into my room. I stopped at the door. Jupiter was laying in bed with Joe, who was still unconscious. She just layed there motionless until she heard all of us walk in.

Jupiter slowly turned and looked at Shane. She quickly got up and stood in front of Joe, there was a mixture of fear and determination on her face. "What are you d-doing here?" she questioned, her voice shook, full of emotion.

"I…" Shane stammered, trying to come up with something tangible. "I came t-to see J-joe." He looked down at her feet instead of her eyes; his tail was slightly in between his legs.

"Why?" Jupiter challenged Shane, her hackles raised, "so you-"

"Enough!" grandpa growled. "Jupiter," she turned to face him, but she didn't let her guard down, "Shane's not going to harm Joe. He's calmed down and he came to see if Joe's alright. No one is going to harm him."

Her fur lowered slightly as she calmed down. "Alright," she huffed. She moved to the side so we could see Joe. He looked just as bad as he was when I last saw him. Shane took a step forward only to get a growl from Jupiter; he stopped moving. I've never seen this side of her before. Hunter gently let go of his grip on me and went towards Jupiter. He put an arm around her to calm her down. Her growling ceased.

Shane kept walking towards Joe. He took a few more steps until he was standing right in front of him. He gasped when he got a good look at Joe. His tail drooped and his ears twitched. I noticed his bottom jaw began to quiver. "What have I done," he whispered almost inaudibly.

Shane slowly lifted up his arm and moved it towards Joe. Jupiter's growl came back and she took a step towards Shane, but Hunter held her back. Shane hesitated, but he maneuvered his hand towards Joe, but as he was about to touch him, Joe grunted.

Everyone froze when we heard that. Was Joe waking up? We sat there silently as I saw his brown eyes open. He looked a bit disoriented, his eyes were out of focus. He mumbled something that I couldn't understand. He was still mostly out of it.

"Joe," Shane's voice broke. He closed his eyes, "I'm so sorry."

I saw Joe's mouth twitch a bit, forming a small smile. Did he hear what Shane said?

Shane touched Joe wound, not even realizing that he did. Joe's smile turned into a pained face as he silently whimpered. That was all Jupiter needed to hear.

Jupiter's growl came back as fierce as ever, while she shoved Hunter out of the way. "That's it!" she howled. "Get the hell out!"

Shane took a few steps back in fear. He backed up into me, which in turn made me fall over Ian, who was still supporting me. I landed butt first out of the room, the pain in my stomach came back almost at full force.

Jupiter took a few more steps forwards towards Shane. Shane just quickly yelped and fled the room. I could hear the kitchen door that led outside open and close. Shane just fled out of the house.

Jupiter's growled faded after a short moment. She immediately went back to Joe, making sure he was safe.

I groaned as Ian and grandpa helped me up. They quickly set me down on my bed. The pain in my stomach flaring up once again.

"Where…" I heard Joe mutter silently. His voice sounded like he was in pain. We all turned and listened to him. "Shane?"

Jupiter's ears pricked as he asked that question. "He's not here anymore. You're safe with me," she told him. Hunter's tail twitched, and my tail flicked. Joe said that to her a while back. Oh the irony.

"Where am I?" Joe asked, not hearing what Jupiter said.

"You're in Luke and Ian's room," grandpa explained.

"Welcome back to the living, bud," Hunter joked, walking up to Jupiter to see Joe better.

Are we just going to ignore the fact that Jupiter chased Shane out of the house? That can't be ignored, I don't think. I know Joe just woke up and all, but that doesn't give us the rights to ignore Shane.

I decided if no one was going to find Shane, then I would have to. Alone.

"You're going to have to be stuck in bed for a week," Jupiter said solemnly. "Then after that, you'll have to take it easy for another week."

"What!" I heard Joe complain, his voice sounding more normal now. "I have to lay down for that long?"

"Yes," grandpa told him, "you're lucky it's only that long. You'll be back in training before you know it."

A lot of the pain faded away, so I thought I was ready to get up. My stomach still hurt like hell, but not as bad as earlier. I silently got up, trying to sneak away. It wasn't that difficult, the others were too focused on Joe that they didn't notice me leave. I looked back right before I snuck out of my room. I saw that Hunter was looking at me. I was caught. He just stared at fe for a moment, then nodded, telling me to leave. Surprisingly, he didn't tell the others. _Thank you,_ I mouthed to him. He just nodded again.

I left the room and went down the hallway. How am I going to find Shane? He could be anywhere. Maybe he went back with Leo and Jordan. I guess I'll check there first.

I entered the kitchen to find nobody there. Good, that makes it a lot easier to not get caught by mom or someone else. I left through the kitchen door and started to look for Shane's scent. It was still very strong, as if he was still here. I looked left of the door, and he was sitting right there. He didn't leave?

I slowly and gently sat down next to him. He was just staring out into the forest. "Hey," I said calmly to him. He didn't respond. I wasn't exactly sure what to say, so I just said what I thought. "Jupiter was just-"

"She was just being protective of Joe, I get it," Shane said, sounding depressed. "I understand completely why she chased me out, and that's why I left. But I can't shake the feeling that she will always be like this from now on."

"Shane…" I had no idea what to say. I guess encouraging words will suffice, "things will work out in the end. She will forgive you and so will Joe. They just need some time alone."

"But what about the others?" he asked, looking up to me. "You saw them at dinner, they all stared at me like I was a monster. When will they ever forgive me!?" he exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes.

"Time will heal all of your problems eventually." I turned around to see grandpa at the door. Shane and I both looked at him. "I know exactly how you feel, Shane, letting all your emotions take over you."

"You don't know anything about what I'm going through, old man!" Shane bellowed, his tone full of emotions.

"Shane!" I yelped in surprise. You don't call my grandpa that! Before I could say anything else, grandpa put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to him, and he just nodded at me. He then looked back to Shane.

"I was young once. I had a childhood similar to yours in a way." He sighed; he's been doing that a lot lately. "My parents were very neglectful to me; it was almost like I didn't have any parents. They acted like I was never there. I didn't stay home for very long: I ran away." Grandpa never told me this before.

"I went to the dojo and learned how to fight. That's when Sensei Dareth took me under his wing. I lived there until I was seventeen, and that's when the war started. My friends and I started the Ninja Wolf team because we wanted to protect the original Lupina from the dangerous humans."

"We were winning the war, and we became the most elite assassins Lupina's ever known. One of the last missions we did we had to capture a human: the governor of New York. We were successful, for the most part. Before we left the governor's house, we ran into a little girl: the governor's daughter. She begged to let her dad go, I didn't know what to do. This man had a family, and I was about to rip it apart, in fact, I already did it plenty of times."

"I was going to let him go, but Victor took the mission into his own hands and knocked out the little girl. We escaped with the governor. When we got back to what is now Fort Stewart, Victor was put in charge of the prisoner; I had no say in the matter."

Shane interrupted him, "What does this have to do with me?" he asked impatiently, and grandpa just ignored him.

"Victor was abusive to the governor, and he would mock him about his family and the whole human race. He did it daily, and it got worse and worse. I've never seen this side in Victor, he was a whole other person. I tried talking him out of abusing the man, but he just ignored me, and one day, I lost it. While Victor was guarding, I attacked him; I was not in control of myself. The next thing I know was he was on the ground, bleeding out. Luckily we got him taken care of quickly, but he was in bad shape."

"Winston, Dakota, and Dante heard about it the next day. Winston and Dante didn't trust me for a long time. Winston and Dante would always argue about what I did. Winston thought I did the right thing - he never did like Victor much - and Dante thought otherwise. Dakota eventually was able to work it out, but it took a long time. They all eventually forgave me, but by then, the war was over because I refused to strike the final blow of the war and kill the president. So we had to flee Lupina, and that's where we split. I've kept this secret to myself for years, but I think you two should know it. I still have a hard time forgiving myself today."

"But what does that have to do with me?" Shane asked. "You were defending someone who was being abused, I did it out of jealousy. You were doing the right thing, and I wasn't."

"I did not do the right thing. I should've got security and have them stop Victor or something, but that didn't happen. And yes, you did the wrong thing, but use your mistakes to learn, I know you already learned. Everyone will forgive you soon enough."

"I hope so," Shane muttered.

Grandpa walked up to Shane and extended his arm," Why don't you come inside." He looked up into the sky. "It looks like it's about to rain." Shane looked up to grandpa for a moment, they both locked eyes with each other. After a few moments, Shane took grandpa's and stood up. "There we go," grandpa said.

We walked into the house to find Hunter standing at the counter with a bowl of goop in his hands. "Hi," he greeted.

"What are you doing," I asked him.

"Making another cake," he answered. "I thought it might help lighten up the mood." Hunter really is like Dakota: they both settle the tensions.

"Thank you Hunter," grandpa thanked. We walked to the living room, grandpa made me lay down on the mattress that Joe slept on. "I noticed that you were able to walk on your own. Maybe if you rest for the night, you might be mostly healed by tomorrow morning."

"Okay," I said excitedly.

Half an hour passed and Hunter finally finished the cake. It felt like forever; cake sounded really good at the time. He cut out a slice of cake for Shane and I, and we took them into the living room.

"Cake's ready!" Hunter called out to the others who were in my room checking on Joe. Shane and I decided to stay in the living room. We saw everybody come out for cake except for Jupiter. She never left the room; she hasn't all day.

Hunter, Shane, and I we talking between the three of us. We talked about multiple things: our lives, our weapons, and Shane talked with Hunter about Call of Duty. I guess Hunter was familiar with it.

During our talk, I had four slices of cake. Hey, it wasn't my fault; I was distracted by the conversation, and Hunter's cake is really good.

A few hours passed by and we were settling down. We were all tired. Hunter and Shane were still talking, but I had my eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. I decided to sleep on the mattress that Joe slept on; Ian can have my bed, I don't mind.

"Hey," I heard Hunter say before I could fall asleep, "did anyone grab my weapons when I left to find Shane?"

I turned to him and thought about it. "No," I told him.

"Shit," Hunter said, getting off the couch. "You wanna come and help me find them?"

"No," I told him. It was his problem; besides, I didn't want to overdo myself, and I was tired. Let Hunter deal with his problems. Shortly after Hunter and Shane went to look for his weapons, I fell asleep.

**So Nikolai revealed his secret no one knew about. Joe and Luke are recovering just fine. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate reviews and I'm still taking OCs, so pm me one if you want it somewhere in the story. See you next time!**


	27. Rewriting

Hey guys! I'm here to tell you that I am rewriting this story. I was not fully happy with what was in this story, so I thought that instead of continuing, I would restart it was have better writing in it. I'll leve these chapters on here still, but I am setting up a new folder for the new story. I hope you guys understand.

I should be posting soon.


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